SJ Astronomy

It’s there for us year round, lighting our days and providing energy for our lives, so maybe it’s time to give it a closer look. Join SJAA for amazing and detailed views of the Sun, and be assured that we’ll be using special telescopes that will keep your eyeballs perfectly safe.

We’ll have white-light telescopes with dense solar filters that reveal sunspots. Further, we’ll show you hydrogen-alpha telescopes that isolate a very specific color of red that reveals prominences (colloquially often thought of as solar flares; see video below) and intricate texture within the Sun’s chromosphere (its atmosphere).

We can also share with you a little about how the Sun works and how complex magnetic fields drive the number of sunspots and prominences that we’ll see on a given day.

A few minutes after 1:30, we'll have a short, informal introductory talk, and at other times, you can enjoy the views and ask questions about the Sun, telescopes, or astronomy in general.

Often we also have a station where you can get a better feel for the huge scale of our solar system! And you'll get a solar system you can fold up and carry in your pocket.

You may bring your own telescope. If you have a properly filtered white light or H-alpha telescope and want to share views with others, please arrive at 1:00 or earlier, so you have time to set up before the event officially starts.

Since we'll be out in the Sun, consider coming prepared with a hat, sunscreen and water. Conditions may be hot!

And with this video you could prepare yourself with a better understanding of solar flares (and how they're different from prominences): https://youtu.be/EgKTeVQegbk

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 contributing member for only $20 per year: https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/

For more info on this public solar observing event, visit: https://www.sjaa.net/events/solar-observing/

[Photo: Sun image (at 304A) from NASA SDO (https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/) 2022-10-08]

************************* This is an online event *************************

The Imaging SIG meets roughly every month online to discuss topics about imaging. The SIG is open to people with absolutely no experience but want to learn what it’s all about, but experienced imagers are also more than welcome, indeed, encouraged to participate.

Come join San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) for an evening of stargazing.

Event details:

• Events are held at the parking lot of our headquarters, Houge Park, San Jose. The event duration is 2 hours. SJAA volunteers will share night sky views from their telescopes.
• Please refrain from bringing your own telescopes (Binoculars are welcome). If you like to be a volunteer with or without a telescope, please email at "itsp@sjaa.net".
• SJAA, as an all-volunteer nonprofit org, depends on the City of San Jose to use facilities at Houge Park. To maintain this relationship, we must provide facility-use data to the city. Therefore, we ask you to sign in (no traceable personal data collected) when you arrive at the event.
• An hour before the star party, we typically offer a separate intro-to-astronomy (Astronomy101) talk. This talk is aimed at an absolute beginner to intermediate Astronomy audience. Age-wise suitable for upper elementary school levels and above. If interested, please search our calendar/meetup and sign up.

Intro Talk Just Before This Star Party:
Introduction To Astronomy
https://www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy/events/312673025

Additional Links:
Our Club : https://www.sjaa.net
Event Location : https://www.sjaa.net/learnresources/viewing-locations/#Houge_Park
Etiquette : https://www.sjaa.net/learnresources/etiquette
ITSP album : https://photos.app.goo.gl/FWjbWagFoXkDnLfF8
Hope to see you at the event