RSVP here.
NOVAC supports this event by providing telescope views to visitors.
- Sky Meadows State Park (11012 Edmonds Ln.), behind the Mount Bleak House within the white fence.
- For individuals who are fully vaccinated face coverings and social distancing are no longer required. Individuals who are not yet fully vaccinated will be asked to continue face covering and social distancing procedures.
Please visit the official website for more details.
Searching for Life on Other Worlds
Are we alone or do we share our solar system and galaxy with other forms of life? And how widespread are advanced civilizations with whom we could communicate?
Robert Naeye
Sunday, July 11, 2021
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Online event
meet.google.com/osh-bcyd-gti
Monthly Meeting – Public Invited
Abstract:
Are we alone or do we share our solar system and galaxy with other forms of life? And how widespread are advanced civilizations with whom we could communicate?
Right now we don’t have answers to these profound questions. But scientists are in hot pursuit. The technology of searching for life on other worlds has reached a level of maturity where the first definitive evidence of extraterrestrial life could come in the very near future.
Science journalist Robert Naeye will explore three different roads for detecting life beyond Earth:
- Launching robotic spacecraft to discover life on Mars or other worlds in our solar system.
- Deploying large telescopes to detect the chemical signatures of life in the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars.
- Using various techniques to pick up signals from advanced civilizations or to find evidence of their technological activities.
Robert’s talk will be loosely based on a cover story he wrote for the September 2020 issue of Astronomy magazine. His talk will be nontechnical and intended for a general audience.
Bio:
Robert Naeye is a freelance science journalist based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He is a former editor in chief of Sky & Telescope, the world’s most respected popular astronomy magazine. He also worked for NASA at its Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. During his 30-year career he has written hundreds of articles about astronomy and space science. He has authored two books and contributed to three others. Please visit his website at www.robertnaeye.com.
This event is cancelled due to forecasted cloud cover.Â
RSVP here.
Members of the public are invited to view the wonders of the universe through the telescopes of NOVAC volunteers. You do not need to be a member of the club or own any astronomical equipment to attend.
Featured objects will include Jupiter, Saturn, and various deep sky objects like star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.
From 8pm until sunset (8:16pm) you can inspect different telescopes and other visual equipment on the field. Have a cosmic question? One of our astronomers will be happy to help you. After sunset be prepared to enjoy the wonders of the night sky!
After arriving at the main gate, take the first left into the gravel parking lot. There is additional parking up the road. There should be some telescopes setup in the nearby field. Please dim your headlights if you are arriving after dark and please do not drive onto the field unless you are a volunteer.
Dress warmly! Temperatures can still be cool during summer nights. Please check the weather forecast. For lighting, cover a flashlight in red cellophane (the darker the better). Bring along water to keep hydrated and plan on staying the entire evening or as long as the weather allows. Feel free to walk around and view the different telescopes on display but please ask the owner before using. Please monitor your children around expensive astronomical equipment. Remember, telescope mirrors are sensitive to cigarette smoke and bug spray. Finally, pets should not be brought onto the observing field unless they are service animals.
Note: This outdoor event is weather-dependent and may be cancelled because of significant cloud cover or precipitation.
Please read the C.M. Crockett Page for park details.
RSVP here.
NOVAC supports this event by providing telescope views to visitors.
- Sky Meadows State Park (11012 Edmonds Ln.), behind the Mount Bleak House within the white fence.
- For individuals who are fully vaccinated face coverings and social distancing are no longer required. Individuals who are not yet fully vaccinated will be asked to continue face covering and social distancing procedures.
Please visit the official website for more details.
To Bennu and Back Again: the OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Mission
Are we alone or do we share our solar system and galaxy with other forms of life? And how widespread are advanced civilizations with whom we could communicate?
Dr. Hannah Kaplan
Sunday, August 8, 2021
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Online event
meet.google.com/osh-bcyd-gti
Monthly Meeting – Public Invited
Abstract:
On October 20, 2020, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully collected a sample from the surface of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu. That sample will be delivered to Earth in 2023 for analysis in state-of-the-art laboratories. In the meantime, our best information on Bennu’s origin, geologic history, and composition comes from instruments on the spacecraft, which observed the asteroid for multiple years before sample collection. Important findings include the presence of water and organics on the surface, and contamination from other asteroids. Through the lens of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft observations, Dr. Kaplan will describe Bennu’s history and implications for the returned sample.
Bio:
Dr. Kaplan is a research space scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center. She uses remote sensing observations to understand the composition of planetary surfaces, including asteroids and Mars. She is a member of the OSIRIS-REx science team and the Lucy L’Ralph instrument science team. Before coming to Goddard, Dr. Kaplan worked at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado where she was a postdoctoral researcher working on OSIRIS-REx.
Great Meadow Public Night is cancelled this evening because of predicted overcast conditions.
RSVP here.
Members of the public are invited to view the wonders of the universe through the telescopes of NOVAC volunteers. You do not need to be a member of the club or own any astronomical equipment to attend.
From 7:30pm until sunset (8:06pm) you can inspect different telescopes and other visual equipment on the field. Have a cosmic question? One of our astronomers will be happy to help you. After sunset be prepared to enjoy the wonders of the night sky!
For lighting, cover a flashlight in red cellophane (the darker the better). Bring along water to keep hydrated and plan on staying the entire evening or as long as the weather allows. Feel free to walk around and the different telescopes on display but please ask the owner before using. Please monitor your children around expensive astronomical equipment. Remember, telescope mirrors are sensitive to cigarette smoke and bug spray. Finally, pets should not be brought onto the observing field unless they are service animals.
Note: This event is weather-dependent and may be cancelled because of significant cloud cover or precipitation.
See front page of NOVAC Site for changes to event. More information about Great Meadow including directions and parking visit the Great Meadow Site page.
RSVP here.
Members of the public are invited to view the wonders of the universe through the telescopes of NOVAC volunteers. You do not need to be a member of the club or own any astronomical equipment to attend.
Featured objects will include Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and deep sky objects like star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.
Arrive before sunset (7:30pm) if you want to inspect different telescopes and other visual equipment on the field. Have a cosmic question? One of our astronomers will be happy to help you. After sunset be prepared to enjoy the wonders of the night sky!
Feel free to walk around and enjoy the different telescopes on display but please ask the owner before using. Please monitor your children if they’re around expensive astronomical equipment. Remember, telescope mirrors are sensitive to cigarette smoke and bug spray. Pets should not be brought onto the observing field as well (unless they are service animals).
Don’t forget to dress warmly! Please check the weather forecast. For lighting, cover a flashlight in red cellophane (the darker the better). Bring along water to keep hydrated and plan on staying the entire evening or as long as the weather allows. If you’re arriving after dark, please dim your vehicle’s headlights as you approach the gravel parking lot.
Note: This outdoor event is weather-dependent and may be cancelled because of significant cloud cover or precipitation.
Please read the C.M. Crockett Page for park details.
RSVP here.
NOVAC supports this event by providing telescope views to visitors.
- Sky Meadows State Park (11012 Edmonds Ln.), behind the Mount Bleak House within the white fence.
- For individuals who are fully vaccinated face coverings and social distancing are no longer required but recommended. Individuals who are not yet fully vaccinated will be asked to continue face covering and social distancing procedures.
Please visit the official website for more details.
RSVP here.
Members of the public are invited to view the wonders of the universe through the telescopes of NOVAC volunteers. You do not need to be a member of the club or own any astronomical equipment to attend.
Arrive before sunset (7:22pm) to inspect different telescopes and other visual equipment on the field. Have a cosmic question? One of our astronomers will be happy to help you. After sunset be prepared to enjoy the wonders of the night sky!
For lighting, cover a flashlight in red cellophane (the darker the better). Bring along water to keep hydrated and plan on staying the entire evening or as long as the weather allows. Feel free to walk around and the different telescopes on display but please ask the owner before using. Please monitor your children around expensive astronomical equipment. Remember, telescope mirrors are sensitive to cigarette smoke and bug spray. Finally, pets should not be brought onto the observing field unless they are service animals.
Note: This event is weather-dependent and may be cancelled because of significant cloud cover or precipitation.
See front page of NOVAC Site for changes to event. More information about Great Meadow including directions and parking visit the Great Meadow Site page.
RSVP Here.
Widewater State Park and NOVAC will be co-hosting a stargazing event that’s open to the public. NOVAC members will provide telescopes to view objects in the night sky. You do not need to be a member of the club or own any astronomical equipment to attend.
Featured objects will include the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, star clusters, and nebulae.
For individuals who are fully vaccinated, face coverings and social distancing are not required. Individuals who are not yet fully vaccinated should continue face covering and social distancing procedures.
This outdoor event is weather-dependent. In the event of significant cloud cover or inclement weather, a presentation in the Visitor Center will replace the stargazing event (topic TBD).
For more information, please visit Widewater State Park’s website.