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
50
Stargazing at the East Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park - East Side Parking, 2400 Pinnacles Highway Paicines, CA 95043, Paicines, CA, USRSVPs are now closed. We have a long waitlist and any spots that open up will now be filled from the waitlist.
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 Whirlpool Galaxy, The Great Hercules Cluster, The Ghost of Jupiter Nebula, Jupiter and its moons, 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 8:45 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.
- Please plan to arrive no later than 30 mins before the start of the event. Give yourself extra time to get down there. 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.
59 attendees
Free Public Talk on the Realms of the Universe that Make You Possible
Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, CA, USDr. Hakeem Oluseyi, the CEO of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, will give a free, illustrated, non-technical lecture entitled:
"Why Do We Exist? The Nine Realms of the Universe that Make You Possible."
in the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College, in Los Altos (see directions below)
The talk is part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, now in its 27th year.
The story of our existence can be told as a passage through nine interwoven realms—each revealing a new layer of cosmic information. For example, there’s the Middle Realm, where we humans live; the Realm of Life, where organisms flourish across the vastness of space; the Cosmological Realm, where galaxies dance and collide; the Dark Realm, dominated by unseen energy and invisible forces, and the Quantum Realm, where reality defies intuition. In this talk, based on his newly published book, Why Do We Exist?, Dr. Oluseyi explores these realms with clarity, humor, and honesty. The result is both a blueprint for understanding reality and a surprising case for human potential in an indifferent cosmos.
Hakeem Oluseyi is an astrophysicist, inventor, and award-winning science communicator. He serves as CEO of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and as a public spokesperson for NASA’s IMAP mission. He is the author of the critically acclaimed, award-winning memoir A Quantum Life and the recently released Why Do We Exist? The Nine Realms of the Universe That Make You Possible. Oluseyi has held professorships at Florida Institute of Technology, MIT, Princeton, the University of Cape Town, and other leading institutions, and published more than 100 scientific papers. He is also known for his media and public engagement with audiences worldwide.
Foothill College is just off the El Monte Road exit from Freeway 280 in Los Altos.
For directions and parking information, see: https://foothill.edu/parking/
For a campus map, to find the Smithwick Theater (Bldg. 1000), see:
https://foothill.edu/map/
Note: Parking lot 1 is closest, with access to the theater by a long set of stairs. Parking lot 5 provides access from the same elevation as the theater. Elevator access: Lot 8 (via building 8100 and then building 8400 elevators.)
The lecture is co-sponsored by:
* The Foothill College Science, Tech, Engineering & Math Division
* The SETI Institute and
* The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Past lectures in the series can be found on YouTube at: http://youtube.com/svastronomylectures
and as audio podcasts at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/180559522 attendees
Astro 101: Sights Of The Cosmos (online)
·OnlineOnlineThis 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.
We'll take the first 15 minutes to give a short tour of the night sky using the planetarium software Stellarium. The talk will start at 7:15.
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.
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/
This event is an on-line Zoom event, complementing our in-person events in Houge Park.
(Photo: M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.)
20 attendees
Past events
1121
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