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.
2021 Presentations
June 12, 8:30 p.m.
Presenter: Dr. Charles Kerton- Associate professor of astronomy
The Department of Physics & Astronomy at Iowa State University
Title: Adventures in Citizen Science
This talk will describe work done by astronomers based at Iowa State University and the Adler Planetarium to understand the nature of thousands of compact, infrared sources identified by the over 50,000 citizen scientists participating in the Milky Way Project. Most of these objects represent an early stage in the evolution of massive stars.Trying to understand why many of these objects were not identified in previous Galactic infrared surveys leads to some interesting insights into how the mid-infrared emission from a massive star-forming region changes as it evolves. I will also briefly describe some of the other active citizenscience
Bio: Dr. Charles Kerton is an associate professor of astronomy in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Iowa State University. His research focus is on observational studies of high-mass star formation and the effect of massive stars on the interstellar medium using infrared and radio data. At Iowa State he also enjoys teaching classes ranging from undergraduate survey courses to specialized graduate seminars. Even though astronomy is his job, he still likes to look at the night sky from time to time just for fun!
Zoom Meeting information:
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Meeting ID: 812 7115 3042
Passcode: 866470
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July 10, 8:30 p.m.
Presenter: To be announced
Title: To be announced
July 31, 8:30 p.m.
Presenter: To be announced
Title: To be announced
August 14, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Presenter: To be announced
Title: Our Sun and Solar Activity Cycles
August 28, 8:00 p.m.
Presenter: To be announced
Title: To be announced
September 25, 7:30 p.m.
Presenter: To be announced
Title: To be announced
October 16, 7:30 p.m.
Presenter: To be announced
Title: Earth’s Moon: International Observe the Moon Night
October 30, 7:30 p.m.
Presenter: To be announced
Title: To be announced
November 27, 7:30 p.m.
Presenter: To be announced
Title: To be announced
2021 Past Presentations
January 16, 7:30 p.m.
Nancy Atkinson, contributing editor for Universe Today- www.universetoday.com
Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions
"The stories of 45 engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make it possible to land on the Moon. Many of these people have gone unheralded for their work, but their contributions were vital to meeting the challenges of such an audacious project. These are stories from the 1960's that you won't find anywhere else."
February 13, 7:30 p.m.
Charles (Chuck) E. Allen, Vice President, Astronomical League
Cosmic Horizons
Cosmic Horizons explores the limits of human visibility imposed by planetary curvature, photon sensitivity of the human eye, and the speed of light in an expanding universe. We briefly explore the definition of planetary horizons and the role of planetary size in defining them. Next, we examine the faintest astronomical objects we can see with and without optical aid, and the smallest number of photons theoretically detectable by humans. Finally, we discuss the four horizons imposed by time and the speed of light (the Hubble distance, cosmic particle horizon, cosmic event horizon, and future visibility horizon) and consider how these horizons change in an accelerating universe and what effect they have on what we can, or ever will, see.
Chuck Allen
Chuck is currently Vice-President, and also past-President, of the Astronomical League. He founded the League’s 30 year-old National Young Astronomer Award in 1991, received the G. R. Wright Award for service in 1998, and holds the League’s Master Outreach Award with more than 500 public programs to his credit. He is a League Master Observer with 38 programs completed, three of which he coordinates.
Chuck is Program Director for the Evansville Astronomical Society and past President of the Louisville Astronomical Society (1991-94). From 1995 to 2002, he served as Judge, and once as Lead Judge, in earth and space science for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Chuck graduated from Duke University in 1970, served as a U.S. Air Force officer from 1970 to 1974, and graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1977. He was a partner with Kentucky's largest law firm, Frost, Brown Todd LLC, where he practiced for 27 years.
March 6, 7:30 p.m.
Tom Field, Field Tested Systems
You can almost touch the stars
Even if you wanted to touch a star, they’re all impossibly distant. Despite these great distances, astronomers have learned an enormous amount about stars. How? The most common method to study the stars is called spectroscopy, which is the science of analyzing the colorful rainbow spectrum produced by a prism-like device. Until recently, spectroscopy was too expensive and too complicated for all but a handful of amateurs. Today, though, new tools make spectroscopy accessible to almost all of us. You no longer need a PhD, dark skies, long exposures, enormous aperture … or a big budget! With your current telescope and FITS camera (or a simple web cam or even a DSLR without a telescope) you can now easily study the stars yourself. Wouldn’t you like to detect the atmosphere on Neptune or the red shift of a quasar right from your own backyard?! This talk, with lots of interesting examples, will show you what it’s all about and help you understand how spectroscopy is used in research. Even if you are an armchair astronomer, understanding this field will enhance your understanding of the things you read and the night sky.
Tom Field
Tom Field has been a Contributing Editor at Sky & Telescope Magazine for the past 7 years. He is the author of the RSpec software (www.rspec-astro.com) which received the S&T “Hot Product” award in 2011. Tom is a popular speaker who has spoken to hundreds of clubs via the web and in-person at many conferences, including NEAF, the NEAF Imaging Conference, the Winter Star Party, the Advanced Imaging Conference, and other
We learn in school that stars are like the Sun, only very far away. Or, the Sun is a star which is very close to us. How similar are the stars in the night sky to our Sun? A short answer would be that they are similar in kind, but quite different in degree. They range enormously in mass (amount of matter in them), brightness, and temperature at their surfaces. The most massive, brightest, and hottest stars are called the O stars. The term “O star” is a holdover from early astronomical research, but the category contains a set of stars with extravagant properties. In particular, they are much hotter and much brighter beacons than our Sun. In spite of this, none of the 26 brightest stars in the sky is an O star. In this talk, I will explain why this is true, and where you can find stars in the night sky that are these remarkable objects.
Topic: O Stars in the Night SkyTime: Apr 3, 2021 07:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
May 1, 8:00 p.m.
Presenter:
Dr. Sadie Elliott, Postdoctoral Research Scholar
University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy
Title:
New discoveries made by the Juno mission to Jupiter
Abstract:
NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter was launched in 2011. Since its arrival at Jupiter on July 4, 2016, Juno has made a number of scientific discoveries. Juno is the first spacecraft to make in-situ measurements of Jupiter’s polar magnetosphere and aurora. Some surprising high-latitude discoveries include observations of highly energetic electron beams, intense broadband plasma waves, and elevated electron densities due to the presence of the Io plasma torus. In this talk, I will present an overview of the Juno mission and the University of Iowa’s involvement. I will also present scientific results from Juno’s prime mission, specifically observations made by Juno’s radio and plasma wave instrument.
Virtual Meeting Information:
Topic: New discoveries made by the Juno mission to Jupiter
Time: May 1, 2021 08:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
May 15, 2021
8:30 p.m.
Presenter:
Rachael Filwett , Ph.D.
Title: Solar energetic particles and their influence on modern society
Abstract:
In our technologically-driven society we have become increasingly reliant on stable power supplies. Similar to terrestrial based weather sources that can be devastating to a region, such as the derecho last year, outer space can produce a variety of weather hazards. I’ll discuss how these hazards vary by terrestrial location, and how they come in ‘seasons’. The number of spacecraft is increasing rapidly, and NASA has plans to return astronauts to the moon and then on to Mars, adding urgency to mitigate space weather risks. I’ll talk about what space weather is, what we can do about it, and how my personal research plays a small role in this important task.
Virtual Meeting Information:
Topic: Space Weather for a Modern Society
Time: May 15, 2021 08:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
2020 Past Presentations
March 21, 7:30 p.m. CANCELED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
Prof. Steve Spangler, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Lost Siblings of the Sun
Can we find some of the stars that were formed in the same Star Formation Region as the Sun, 4.5 billion years ago? Incredibly, some sober astronomers think the answer is yes, and published a paper to this effect in the Astrophysical Journal. The star is visible to binoculars and should be up at the time of the March public night.
April 25, 8:00 p.m. CANCELED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
Dr. Jasper Halekas, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy
The Parker Solar Probe Mission
May 16, 8:30 p.m. CANCELED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
Mr. Brent Studer, Cedar Amateur Astronomers
TBA
June 13, 8:00 p.m.
Dr. Raymond Anderson, University of Iowa, Earth and Environmental Sciences
The Manson Meteor Impact Structure and the Decorah Impact Structure
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual.
July 11, 8:00 p.m.
Dr. Phil Kaaret, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy
X-Raying the Milky Way with HaloSat
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual.
July 25, 3:00 p.m. -- Solar Day
Mr. Carl Bracken, Cedar Amateur Astronomers
Cycles of Change
Maunder, Dalton, Centennial…Eddy. A look at global impacts from long duration cycles of solar activity to try and understand the historical record and how it might inform us about the next extended activity cycle. What are some of the latest tools being used in the quest for understanding how our star works and impacts life on our planet?
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual.
August 8, 8:00 p.m.
Dr. Casey DeRoo, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Exploring Beyond Our Galaxy with X-ray Astronomy
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual.
August 22, 8:00 p.m. Canceled due to ongoing power/internet outages in Cedar Rapids.
September 12, 7:30 p.m.
Mr. Ahmed Reda (TBC), Minnesota Astronomical Society
Stellar Evolution
Stars evolve from clouds of gas and dust treading different paths depending on their mass. This presentation explores these different paths throughout the stars' lifecycles.
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual.
September 26, 7:30 p.m. InOMN: Lunar Saturday
Mr. Doug Slauson, CAA Club Member
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual.
October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Jasper Halekas
University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy
The Parker Solar Probe Mission
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual,
November 7, 7:30 p.m.
Mr. Brent Studer, Kirkwood Community College
Meteorite Morphology: Classifying and Collecting Meteorites
Interplanetary vagabonds such as meteorites can tell astronomers a great deal about their parent bodies and the early solar system. In this talk we’ll learn about the origin of meteorites, how they are classified, and collecting these relics from the formation of the solar system.
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual.
December 19, 7:30 p.m.
Professor Steve Spangler, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Lost Siblings of the Sun
Can we find some of the stars that were formed in the same Star Formation Region as the Sun, 4.5 billion years ago? Incredibly, some sober astronomers think the answer is yes, and published a paper to this effect in the Astrophysical Journal.
The observatory will not be open, Presentation will be virtual.
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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.
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