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
53
Celestial Tales: The Winter Giants
Hogue Park, 3962 Twilight dr, San Jose, CA, USCome join us for our monthly Astronomy talk!
7:30pm-8pm: Social time with snacks
8pm: Talk beginTitle: Celestial Tales: The Winter Giants
Abstract:
We are adapting this presentation from our Astro 101 series for our public speaker program. During this hour, we'll go through the winter chapter of a four-part expedition across the seasons. If you enjoy this program please check out the rest of Astro 101 here https://www.sjaa.net/programs/beginners-astronomy/We'll share stories told about the stars in the night sky, journeying from ancestral tales to the rituals that shaped civilization. We’ll walk in the footsteps of the pioneers, legends, rebels, and geniuses who paved the way for modern astronomy: Aristarchus who's radical thinking got ahead of accepted science by 2000 years, Hypatia the master of the ‘cosmic clock’, and Annie Cannon who decoded the colors of the stars. These stories illuminate the awe and wonder that eventually converged into modern science.
Bio:
Celestial Tales will be presented by Rashi Girdhar, a seasoned backyard astronomer and longtime SJAA member with a deep fascination for outer space, both science and history.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/
35 attendees
Astro 101: So You Want to be an Amateur Astronomernomy
Houge Park, 3972 Twilight Dr, San Jose, CA, USThis event is one of several different introductions to astronomy offered by SJAA. This talk provides a comprehensive overview of amateur astronomy, starting simply and working its way up to introduce advanced concepts. You'll hear about star constellations, about types of sky objects and associated observing conditions, and about different observing tools. Through this talk, we hope you'll see astronomy as a scientific as well as a deeply reflective pursuit, full of joy and wonder.
Using the planetarium software Stellarium, we'll take the first 15 minutes to show a preview of the night sky as you'll see it during the subsequent star party. The talk will start at 8:15.
This talk will be presented by Kal Krishnan. Kal is an amateur astronomer whose passion for the cosmos began in the light-polluted skies of Mumbai with a pair of inexpensive binoculars from his father. In the 1990s, Kal rekindled his love for the stars when he acquired a used 8” Meade LX200 telescope, deepening his involvement from a visual observer to a dedicated astrophotographer. His mission now is to share the same sense of awe and excitement that has fueled his own journey and inspire others no matter the tools at their disposal.
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/312795171/)
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.
Event photo: Milky Way photograph by Kal Krishnan
21 attendees
Past events
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