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ہم آپ کو معروف بک میکر پاکستان سے Mostbet com پر آن لائن کیسینو گیمنگ اور اسپورٹس بیٹنگ سے لطف اندوز ہونے کی دعوت دیتے ہیں۔ واقعات کی ایک بے مثال لائن، اعلی مشکلات، مختلف بونس اور پروموشنز، مفت شرطیں، مفت گھماؤ اور تیزی سے واپسی آپ کو لاتعلق نہیں چھوڑے گی۔ یہ ہماری آسان موبائل ایپ کو چیک کرنے کے قابل بھی ہے۔

"Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards."

– Sir Fred Hoyle

CAA Public Events 2019

Young Observer at C16

A young observer peers through the CAA's vintage Celestron 16 telescope.

PUBLIC EVENTS

The CAA hosts at least 12 Saturday Public Observing events featuring a guest speaker that is followed—weather permitting—by celestial viewings through telescopes at the facility. During viewing hours, society members will be available to answer questions and provide everyone with an opportunity to look through the Society's telescopes and those of our members.

This site will be updated through out the year as we assemble our speakers and events.

 Future Presentations

2024 Presentations

 

Dec 7 7:30 * Virtual Event Only

Title: The University Of Minnesota Students’ Practice Observatory – The Discovery, History, and Preservation of Its Equipment

Presenter: Mr. Valts Treibergs - Minnesota Astronomical Society

 

Bio: Mr. Valts have been active with the Minnesota Astronomical Society since 2001 - serving on the Board and running the club's dark-sky site at Long Lake Conservation Center.  His focus is doing astrophotography and restoring antique telescopes and scientific equipment.
 
Synopsis: After being contacted by the University of Minnesota, I had a wonderful opportunity to participate in the restoration of a number of historical pieces that were in storage for many years at the John T. Tate Hall of the Institute for Astrophysics.  This talk is my story about the restoration and discovery of the history of the original Student's Practice Observatory on the UofM campus.

 

 Valts

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 846 7388 1210
Passcode: 424166

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Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/ku4SoeTJ

 

 

2025 Presentations

 

January 18th - 7:30 - Virtual only

Title

Presenter

Joe Lazio

February 15th - 7:30 - Virtual only

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March 22nd - 7:30 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

Title: 

Presenter: Professor Steven Spangler - Professor Emeritus - University of Iowa

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April 26th - 8:00 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

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Presenter 

May 17th - 8:30 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

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Presenter 

June 14th - 8:30 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

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June 28th - 8:30 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

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Presenter: Professor Brent Studer, Kirkwood Community College

BWS DSC 0033 portrait large

July 12th - 3-6PM - Solar Saturday -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

Title

Presenter:Carl Bracken CAA volunteer and active member since 1995 and Basepoint Building Automations Security Systems Consultant

Carl Bracken head shot Crop rfs 50

July 26th - 8:30 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

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Presenter 

August 16th - 8:00 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

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Presenter 

September 13th - 7:30 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

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Presenter 

October 4th - 7:30 - InOMN -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

Title

Presenter

October 25th - 7:30 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom  

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November 15th - 7:30 -This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

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Presenter 

December 13th - 7:30 - Virtual only

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Presenter

 

 

 

 

 

 * Note: Virtual only. Observatory closed due to winter driving conditions.

 

 Past Presentations 

 

Jan 13 2024 7:30 * Virtual Event Only

 Title: Odd Radio Circles and Even Odder Radio Cubes

Presenter: Lawrence Rudnick - Professor Emeritus - University of Minnesota

 We'll start 50 years ago when this budding astrophysicist lost his way in the sky, then jump to some present day glimpses from the Square Kilometer Array radio telescope precursors.  MeerKAT in South Africa and ASKAP in Australia are testing out some of the new technologies and making some really fun discoveries.  We'll look at two ongoing projects. First, the mysterious "Odd Radio Circles" that have been discovered in the last few years, and a new technique I'm developing to visualize radio structures in three dimensions.

 Professor Rudnick taught at the University of Minnesota for 42 years, and conducted research using radio, X-ray, infrared and optical telescopes on the ground and in space.  He worked in many venues promoting the public understanding of science, including training K-12 teachers, appearing on public television's Newton's Apple, and helping build the Bell Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in the Twin Cities.  He is an Honorary Member of the Minnesota Astronomical Society.

 

 

 

Feb 10 7:30 * Virtual Event Only

Title: Smartphone Astrophotography and Citizen Science

Presenter: Mr. Mark Brown - NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador

Have you ever wanted to capture night sky images with your smartphone? This presentation will focus on the use of smartphones and their ability to capture images of the night sky – recording celestial objects and/or light pollution. We will discuss how you can contribute to NASA Citizen Science by addressing light pollution and how teachers, students, and the public play a role in collecting, analyzing, and sharing data as Citizen Scientists with the use of smartphones, smartphone apps, and web apps that bring awareness to a global problem. 
 
Bio: 
Mark joined the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador program in Iowa in 2019, where he successfully planned and implemented dozens of community-based events. In 2023, Mark transitioned to Kansas, where he currently teaches Space Science and is the Director of the Peterson Planetarium and the Science and Math Education Center at Emporia State University. Mark is also the outreach lead for the Department of Math and Sciences, working closely with the Outreach Director, where he continues to bring his enthusiasm and passion for astronomy/space science to the University and surrounding community. Mark is an avid photographer and astrophotographer who takes pleasure in observing and imaging the night sky through his telescopes and cameras. He is passionate about conducting educational public outreach and bringing the concepts of astronomy and space science down to the human level of understanding. For Mark, the night sky's darkness and beauty bring light to his day.
 

Mar 30 7:30 This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

Title: "Where Do Stars Come From"

Presenter: Professor Steven Spangler - Professor Emeritus - University of Iowa

The night sky is filled with stars, and as we learn astronomy, we find out what incredible objects they are.  They dwarf planets like the Earth, and have power outputs that are hard to describe in normal terms.  But, where do they come from?  How do they form and where?  I will discuss how astronomers have come to the current understanding of star formation, which was really incomplete until about 50 - 60 years ago.  At the present time, there are aspects of star formation that we understand very well, and other aspects that are very far from being understood.  After the talk, if it is clear, we will get to see the object that illustrates star formation in action, the Orion Nebula. 

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April 8th - Partial Solar Eclipse Celebration.

Free Solar Eclipse glasses! - This event will be in person only

Eclipse begins 12:46 pm

 

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Global Event: Total Solar Eclipse
Local Type: Partial Solar Eclipse, in 41°53'22.1"N, 91°30'01.3"W
Begins: Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 12:46 pm
Maximum: Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 2:02 pm 0.886 Magnitude
Ends: Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 3:16 pm
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes

All times shown on this page are local time.

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/live/

//www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/@41.889505,-91.500371?iso=20240408" data-mce-href="https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/@41.889505,-91.500371?iso=20240408">https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/@41.889505,-91.500371?iso=20240408

 

 

 

 

   Apr 27 8:00 This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

 Title: PERSPECTIVES ON DISTANCE

Presenter: Charles E. Allen III - Vice-President, Astronomical League

“Perspectives” examines the relative and possible distances achievable by space flight and through amateur and professional telescopic observation. Examining scales from the human altitude record to the four cosmological horizons, the program is supported by multiple props and models and discusses astrophysicists’ answers to the biggest questions about the universe: How far can we see and how big might it be?

Unrelated to the program will be the safe display of an extraordinary 9-case collection verifiably containing 100 chemical elements.

Bio: Chuck is current vice-president and past-president of the 23,000-member Astronomical League and is a prolific speaker with over 600 public presentations to universities, secondary schools, scientific societies, corporations, museums, and other public audiences. He is a League gold-level master observer and is a G. R. Wright and Master Outreach award recipient. He coordinates three League observing programs and co-chaired ALCon ‘21 Virtual. He is also current program chair for the Evansville Astronomical Society, past president of the Louisville Astronomical Society, and a past lead judge for the Intel (now Regeneron) International Science and Engineering Fair.

 Chuck Allen

 

 

 May 25 8:30 This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

 Title: "Spectroscopy: the Colorful Way to View the Cosmos

Presenter: Cole Armstrong, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Iowa

Spectroscopy unveils the secrets of the cosmos through the analysis of light and its complex composition of colors. By dissecting this light, we gain insights into the fundamental properties of celestial objects and the phenomena shaping our universe. Join us for a discussion on the roots of spectroscopy to its cutting-edge applications in modern astronomy that reveal some important characteristics of celestial objects beyond what telescopes alone can resolve.

 

June 8 8:30 

 Title: How the Elements are Made

Presenter: Brent Studer, Kirkwood Community College

In his groundbreaking series “Cosmos,” astronomer Carl Sagan stated, “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” What, exactly, did he mean by that? What does it have to do with the elements on the periodic table and astronomy? Tonight, we’ll learn how the ingredients needed to make a pie, planets, and even people came into existence. We’ll explore how some elements were forged in the earliest moments of the universe’s existence and how stars like the Sun are responsible for creating some of the most abundant elements on Earth and in living organisms. We’ll also learn how other elements are created as massive stars age and even during the cataclysmic deaths of these stars and other stellar remnants.

 BWS DSC 0033 portrait large

 

  June 29 8:30 This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

 Title: Galaxy Supermassive Black Hole Masses from Reverberation Mapping

Presenter: Dr. Caroline Roberts, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa

Reverberation mapping is an observational measurement technique used to obtain the masses of the central supermassive black holes of active galaxies. Supermassive black hole mass scales with other galactic properties, including kinematics of stars in the host galaxy and mass of stars in the bulge, and so accurately determining supermassive black hole masses plays a large role in understanding galactic evolution. In this talk, we’ll discuss the procedure of reverberation mapping and take a look at some results from this method.

Caroline Roberts

 

 Jul 13 3:00 – Solar Saturday This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

 Title: Stormy Weather Ahead - Solar Cycle 25 outpacing the forecast

Presenter: Carl Bracken CAA volunteer and active member since 1995 and Basepoint Building Automations Security Systems Consultant

Current solar cycle 25 is running well ahead of forecast by almost a year, and already surpassing forecasted strength as measured by monthly sunspot totals. Join us on Saturday 13 July 2024 at the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center from 3-6pm to explore our star together and learn about some of the ways our star impacts the 'Global Electric Circuit' and drives a wide range of effects on the world we live in. Weather permitting, live safe and direct viewing of our star will be available hosted by members of the Cedar Amateur Astronomers. Inside we will have our full range of exhibits open for further exploration and learning.

Carl Bracken head shot Crop rfs 50

 

Jul 27 8:30 This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

 Title: Beyond the Telescope: Exploring Digital Resources for Modern Astronomers

Presenter: Philip Griffin, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Iowa
Various digital resources are available to astronomers today on our smartphones and computers. These include several popular apps and websites and others that may be more obscure. From being alerted to geomagnetic storms that may create aurora to exploring a map of the sky in x-ray light, countless resources are available on the ever-expanding internet. Please join us as we showcase many of the free digital resources available to astronomers today.
Philip is a third-year graduate student at the University of Iowa. He is interested in astronomy education as well as instrumentation used with light from optical to x-rays.
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 Aug 31 8:00 This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

 Title: How shall we travel in space? By ship? By train? Or, by radio?

Presenter: Professor Paul Price - University of Iowa - School of Public Health

How do you imagine something you have never seen? This was the challenge science fiction authors and illustrators faced 100 years ago when stories about travel in outer space first became popular. Pictures and stories had to be exciting and different to catch that “sense of wonder” that made science fiction popular, but they also had to be understandable to the reader. Any type of story is hurt by too much exposition (it gets in the way of character development and plot) so a space story cannot afford to explain all of the technical details of space travel necessary to follow a plot. What science fiction stories needed was a set of links between the kinds of travel that readers did understand and travel in space. Once these were established, the authors could focus on the stories and know that the reader would fill in the details based on their experience with earthly transport. As a result, we now have a legacy of stories, terms, expectations about space travel that reflect these links. These links shape our views on science fiction but more importantly they also shape our views on what actual space travel should look like. This talk will go over the history of space travel in literature and unpack some the assumptions about space travel that the authors, readers, and we share.      

Dr. Paul Price is retired from a career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa School of Public Health. He is also a “fan scholar” of science fiction, anime, and manga.   

Headshot-PPrice 10-3

 

 

Sep 14 7:30 - InOMN This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

 Title: The Path of the Moon in the Sky

Presenter: Professor Steven Spangler - Professor Emeritus - University of Iowa

Most people are aware that the Moon goes through its phases, and can appear in different parts of the sky at different times of day, but are probably unaware of patterns it follows.  The situation was very different with people thousands of years ago, who paid close attention to the periodic changes in the Moon's position in the sky.  Striking examples of knowledge of the Moon's motion in the sky are the Anasazi culture of the American southwest, and the Hopewell and Woodland cultures here in Iowa.  In this talk, I will discuss the regularities associated with the Moon's motion in the sky, and make the connection with the motions of the Earth and Moon in space.  This topic is particularly relevant this year, which features a "Major Lunar Standstill", in which the Moon rises the farthest north for the next 18 years.

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Sep 28 7:30

Title: Monturaqui crater – the impact of an iron meteorite in the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Presenter: David W. PeateProfessor of Geochemistry & Department DEO (aka Chair)

Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Iowa

 Synopsis: Solar system objects continually fall to Earth as meteorites, and the larger objects have enough energy to form craters at the Earth's surface. What happens to the solar system object in these large events? Is the material just vaporized and lost, or can we find traces in the rocks at the impact crater to allow us to determine the type of impactor? In this talk, I will focus on research done on the Monturaqui impact crater in Chile, to learn about the impact process and the object that formed it.

 

Bio: David W Peate is a Professor of Geochemistry at the University of Iowa, and currently Chair of the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences. His research focus is understanding how the Earth's mantle melts and how magmas rise through the Earth's crust to form volcanoes, through detailed study of the chemical composition of volcanic rocks and minerals. He has had a life-long fascination with planetary geology inspired by watching the Apollo 11 moon landings as a small child in the UK, which has led to side projects looking at impact craters and meteorites.

 

 

Oct 26 7:30 

Title: How to Build a Space Mission - The Story of TRACERS

Presenter: Jasper S. Halekas, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa

The upcoming Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission, designed and led by the University of Iowa, is currently in the final stages of integration and test before its planned launch next spring. I will describe the genesis and development of the TRACERS mission from the proposal phase through design, assembly, test, and integration. I will also outline the scientific goals of the mission and describe what we hope to learn from TRACERS about our local space neighborhood and the impact of the Sun and the solar wind on our terrestrial environment.

 

 

Nov 23 7:30 This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom

Title: The Resurrection of Voyager 1

Presenter: Professor William (Bill) Kurth - University of Iowa

This talk will address humankind's most distant explorers and their epic journey of discovery, now concentrating on the exploration of the interstellar medium, the 'stuff between the stars'.  But, to tell this story, it is important to discuss the saga of keeping the two Voyagers going on their now 47-year journey to distances measured in nearly a light-day. 

bill kurth blackboard

 

 


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Public observing events are held in the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center at the Palisades-Dows Observatory and Preserve through a generous agreement with the Linn County Conservation Department. For directions, please visit our Map to Pal-Dows page or download a pdf version (276 kB.)

The Cedar Amateur Astronomers, Inc. is a participating member of Night Sky Network.