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 event is one of several different introductions to astronomy offered by SJAA. During this hour, you'll gain an appreciation for the size and scale of the cosmos and our place within it. You'll see many examples of the beautiful objects visible in the night sky, learn something about how we see them through our telescopes and what we can deduce about them through the light they send us. And then you can make your own prediction of whether we're alone in the universe.

Note that SJAA is offering this talk in collaboration with the Santa Clara Northside Library. See also the library's event notice here: https://www.sclibrary.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/111403/7952

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.

(Photo: M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.)