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
44
Astro 101: Outreach & Science Communication Training
·OnlineOnlineUnlike our typical Astro101 presentations that are meant to introduce you to astronomy science as well as observing techniques and equipment, this presentation is geared towards those who want to become astronomy outreach volunteers. Being a good outreach host, sharing telescope views or science activities with visitors, naturally requires some astronomy knowledge as well as equipment expertise. In addition, a third critical piece is science communication skill.
While this presentation will address all three components of being a good outreach host, it emphasizes science communication (or sci-com), as it may be the most difficult skill to absorb from typically available resources. You'll get an idea of what to expect as an outreach host and tips for speaking to your audience in an engaging and informative manner.
If you want to help promote astronomy to the public (with SJAA or elsewhere), or even if you're just toying with the idea, join us for this training presentation! In parts, this event's format will be like a workshop, so expect to share some of your thoughts and ideas. You'd definitely be doing it as an outreach volunteer, so you might as well start here where we can all practice.
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 some of what he's learned.
This event is an on-line Zoom event, complementing our in-person events in Houge Park.
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/
30 attendees
Stargazing at the East Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park - East Side Parking, 2400 Pinnacles Highway Paicines, CA 95043, Paicines, CA, USRSVPs are now open.
San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) and the Pinnacles National Park are proud to jointly sponsor a Stargazing with Telescopes and Binoculars event to be held at the East Entrance of the Pinnacles National Park.
Spend the day at Pinnacles National Park, where the possibilities for discovery are limitless! Climbing and hiking among the breathtaking spires and rock formations that gave Pinnacles its name, is only the beginning of what the park has to offer. Come seek out the California Condor in the high peaks.
When it begins to get dark, come look at the night sky from this truly dark site. Observe deep sky objects such as The Lagoon Nebula, The Butterfly Cluster, and the Milky Way, using the telescopes and Binoculars that will be setup by our docents. It's a truly amazing experience that you will not soon forget!
If you own binoculars, please do bring them and we will teach you how to spot a few objects by yourselves, but PLEASE DO NOT BRING TELESCOPES as the spaces are already filled by our docents who are hosting the star party.
The Pinnacles National Park fee is $30 per car and must be purchased online at the following Link. The Visitor Station closes at 5pm, but you can arrive later. When you arrive, park your car and there should be staff and signs to guide you to the amphitheater where the program will start. The program will start promptly at 9:15 PM. Please do not be late.
As the weather is always changing, please check back here on the day of the event for more info, in case bad weather causes us to cancel it.
Dos
------- This is a family friendly event, and although younger children are welcome, this activity is best suited for children aged 5 years and older.
- Give yourself extra time to get down there and park. The weekends can have more traffic through the Gilroy to Hollister part of the trip.
- It can get cool in the evenings so bring extra layers to keep you warm just in case
- Do bring binoculars if you have them.
- Leave no trash, stay on designated paths, and protect the natural environment.
- Ask a lot of questions. We Astronomers love to share !
Don'ts
----------- Do not bring your own telescope (binoculars are welcome).
- Please do not bring bright lights or white flashlights. They will ruin your night vision and everyone's ability to see the night sky objects.
- Please do not touch the telescopes or eyepieces without checking with the Astronomers.
- Do not shine any light (white or red) on the telescopes
- No smoking and no pets.
- No flash photography.
80 attendees
Astro 101: Intro to Observing the Night Sky
Houge Park, 3972 Twilight Dr, San Jose, CA, USThis event provides an introduction to observing the night sky. During this event, you'll get an overview of the types of sky objects we observe (stars, planets, nebulae, galaxies and more), the tools we use to do so and how to evaluate locations for their observing conditions.
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 8:30.
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/315041326/)
The talk will be presented by Carl Svensson. Carl is not a professional astronomer, but an avid star-gazer and astrophotographer. He joined SJAA in 2017 after receiving his first telescope (a Celestron NexStar 8SE) as a birthday gift from his wife. Since, then he's been involved with various volunteer astronomy events with SJAA, including Starry Nights and solar observing. You can see some of his astrophotos here: https://www.astrobin.com/users/csvensson/
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 ask for first name, home location (city and ZIP code) and approximate age.
(Photo: The Pleiades by Carl Svensson, https://app.astrobin.com/u/csvensson?i=g97qv2.)
18 attendees
Past events
1141
Group links
Members
8,383
