Upcoming Events
Events are open to all members and the general public. Sign up for email event updates by registering with Night Sky Network.
Most of our events happen at the Chabot Space and Science Center. Get directions here.
Next General Meeting – WE’RE BACK AT CHABOT!!
(Note that this meeting will be hybrid, in-person and on zoom/facebook. Our speaker will join us in person, in Classroom 3 / Kepler/Copernicus.)
Meeting will be held at the Chabot Space and Science Center Classroom 4 (the Room formerly known as Copernicus). Please enter through the side gate along the back road of the facility.
As we look back on the discoveries of the Apollo program, now more than fifty years ago, and stand on the verge of a new generation of lunar exploration through the Artemis Program, it is appropriate to reflect upon the sites chosen for lunar exploration. In this talk, we will look back at the Apollo landing sites, examine why they were chosen, and discuss what we learned from them. We will then look ahead to sites that have been identified for upcoming lunar exploration, both human and robotic. These sites each offer fascinating and compelling reasons for exploration. They will help answer key questions about the Moon and its history. Many will also facilitate a sustained human presence on the Moon.
The presentation will feature data gathered from many different instruments aboard a variety of spacecraft and made available through NASA’s Moon Trek online data visualization and analysis portal. The presentation will include an overview of using the portal so that audience members can follow and even become direct participants in this exciting new era of lunar exploration.
About the Speaker
Brian Day is the staff scientist for NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). His duties in this role include serving as SSERVI’s lead for lunar and planetary mapping and modeling. He is the science lead for NASA’s Solar System Treks family of data visualization and analysis portals. He also serves as a member of NASA’s speakers bureau, giving presentations on NASA space science and exploration to audiences of all ages. He has participated in numerous terrestrial analog studies, working in extreme environments on Earth that simulate some aspects of the Moon and Mars. He previously served as education and public outreach lead for both the LCROSS and LADEE robotic lunar missions. In 2007, he flew on NASA’s Aurigid MAC mission to examine fragments of Comet Kiess entering Earth’s upper atmosphere as a meteor shower.
This talk will be available live and publicly at:
Telescope Makers’ Workshop
The Telescope Maker’s Workshop is one of few regularly scheduled such workshops in the world! Every Friday from 7 to 10 PM, amateur telescope makers from the bay area meet at the Chabot Space & Science Center and learn how to grind, shape, polish, and figure mirrors for reflecting telescopes, under the guidance of EAS volunteers. The workshop is free; participants pay only for the mirror blanks and grinding tools, which generally cost between $100-$300, depending on the size of the mirror. All the instruction, grinding grit, testing equipment, and camaraderie is free of charge! For more information, email Richard Ozer at [email protected], or come by the workshop any Friday to see what it’s all about.
Outreach
In person events are more limited because of COVID, but are being scheduled for schools and other community institutions. Contact us also for possible virtual events, or visit http://www.chabotspace.org for scheduled public virtual telescope viewing events]
EAS sends volunteers to schools, libraries, and anywhere curious aspiring astronomers gather. EAS volunteers bring their own equipment or borrow telescopes. Students, parents, and teachers are always thrilled to look through the telescopes and ask questions. You’ll meet all sorts of interesting people and provide a unique and inspiring experience to kids and parents who may have never looked through a telescope before. Find our next event on the calendar above.
Inquire about and request visits by e-mailing EAS Outreach Coordinator Raymond Howard at [email protected]. Visit our outreach page to find out about upcoming events.
Members Only Viewing Nights (MOVN)
[In person events are more limited than in the past because of COVID, visit http://www.chabotspace.org for virtual telescope viewing events]
Once a quarter, we schedule a Members Only Viewing Night at the Chabot Telescope Deck for both EAS and Chabot members. This is our opportunity to look through Chabot’s historic instruments and research telescope, as well as bring our own equipment to share in a more quiet venue. The schedule for MOVN will appear in the event calendar below.
Barcroft High Altitude Star Party
Reservations for the Eastbay Astronomical Society’s Barcroft High-Altitude Star Party are now open to members of the EAS, the Tri-Valley Stargazer’s, and the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society clubs. This year’s event will be held from Sunday August 13th through noon on Saturday August 19th (with departure by noon on Saturday). That’s six nights.
Before sending payments for reservations ($90 per night, per person), even if you’ve been there before, please contact Don Saito FIRST ([email protected]) to ensure the dates you wish to attend are available. You will also be asked to read the Barcroft Writeup, as it provides the information you’ll need to have a safe, comfortable stay, and what is expected of guests to this University of California research facility.
You must also review and sign the White Mountains Research Center COVID Terms and Conditions and Liability Waiver. You can scan and email the signed copy to [email protected]. You may also mail the signed document to EAS, PO Box 18635, Oakland, CA, 94619-0635
So, four steps to apply:
1. Email photo evidence of Covid-19 vaccination/booster to [email protected]
2. Attest in writing/email that you read the current Barcroft Writeup and COVID Terms.
3. Email Don Saito at the above address to check reservation availability and make reservation.
4. Pay the number of days reserved via PayPal or check/snailmail.
Space at Barcroft is limited to a maximum of 12 people per day, so to ensure you get the days you want, make your reservations early.
Barcroft is one the premier amateur astronomy view sites in the world, and it’s slightly less than a day’s drive from the Bay Area to its location in the White Mountains.
Golden State Star Party
This year’s GSSP is scheduled for June 14 – June 18 near Adin, California. For more information and online registration, visit https://goldenstatestarparty.org
Fall Calstar
Spring Calstar is scheduled for September 13 – September 17 at Lake San Antonio. For more information visit https://calstar.observers.org/
Event Calendar
Header photo by EAS member Alan Roche.