About us
Welcome to SJ Astronomy Meetup. We are an active group with a lot of events organized by the San Jose Astronomical Association. All events posted to this Meetup are open to the public but please note that joining this meetup does not automatically make you a member of SJAA. Becoming a formal member of SJAA provides members-only benefits, so we do encourage you to join. Please check out the membership benefits at https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/ to learn more and to join the club.
Also, please note that we need a profile picture for security reasons to join this group. Please consider uploading one before you send a request to join the group. Looking forward to sharing this cool hobby with all of you!
Upcoming events
48
High Altitudes for High Energies: Chasing Solar Flares by Balloon
Houge Park, 3972 Twilight Dr, San Jose, CA, USCome join us for our monthly Astronomy talk!
7:30pm-8pm: Social time with snacks
8pm: Talk beginsNote: We will be meeting in the south event building instead of our usual space in the north event building at the park (our normal building is a polling place and will be occupied or locked).
Title: High Altitudes for High Energies: Chasing Solar Flares by Balloon
Abstract: Solar flares drive space weather which can affect satellites, astronauts, and life on Earth. Having a better understanding of what drives solar flares can lead to better space weather prediction. In this talk, I will discuss the GRIPS (Gamma-Ray Imager/Polarimeter for Solar flares) high altitude balloon mission and its applications for studying particle acceleration in flares. Join me to explore the world of low-cost access to space, solar flare science, and the implications of space weather!
Bio: Meredith Wieber is a 4th-year graduate student in physics at UC Berkeley and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. Her work centers around understanding particle acceleration processes in solar flares, using X-, gamma-, and micro-wave observations. She is also assisting in the development of the GRIPS (Gamma-Ray Imager/Polarimeter for Solar Flares) high-altitude balloon instrument to image gamma-ray ion footpoints from solar flares. Outside of physics, Meredith enjoys sewing, reading, and being outdoors.
Many of SJAA’s events, like this one, are public and free to attend, but if you’re enjoying what SJAA has to offer, consider becoming a paid member for only $20 per year: https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/
20 attendees
Astro 101: Moons of The Solar System
Houge Park, 3972 Twilight Dr, San Jose, CA, USThis event is one of several different introductions to astronomy offered by SJAA. In our solar system, the planets often get all the attention, but the moons have a lot going for them! This presentation visits our planets from Mercury to Pluto, but we'll focus on their moons to learn more about their diversity, how they came to be and the interplay they have with their host planets. At the end, you'll have a greater appreciation for our amazing solar system neighborhood.
We'll take the first 15 minutes to give a short tour of the night sky using the planetarium software Stellarium. The talk will start at 8:30.
The talk will be presented by Wolf Witt. Wolf is not an actual astronomer, nor has he ever played one on TV. However, he's been interested in outer space since he was a kid and still thinks that the universe is an amazing place. He's been with SJAA since 2013, and now he'll share with you his enthusiasm and some of what he's learned about the cosmos. Maybe you'll think it's amazing, too.
Many of SJAA’s events, like this one, are public and free to attend, but if you’re enjoying what SJAA has to offer, consider becoming a paid member for only $20 per year: https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/
This talk is free of charge. Just come and enjoy the show. After the talk, you can check out telescopes that will be set up as part of our In-Town Star Party. (See In Town Star Party event on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy/events/312795174/)
Many of SJAA’s events, like this one, are public and free to attend, but if you’re enjoying what SJAA has to offer, consider becoming a paid member for only $20 per year: https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/
During this event, we will ask all visitors to sign in, so that we can report attendance numbers to the city of San Jose, as San Jose has made Houge Park facilities available to SJAA to serve the public. The sign-in form will not require any detailed personal information.
Image borrowed from BBC Science Focus: https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/the-solar-systems-top-20-moons-ranked-why-because-we-can
15 attendees
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