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
Note that our speaker this month will be in-person, so please join us at Chabot or on Zoom.
Meeting will be held at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Classroom 4 (previously known as Copernicus). Please enter through the back outside gate entrance of the Science Center, midway along the rear access road.
Our guest speaker for the evening is Dr. Cameron Hummels, Computational Research Astrophysicist & Director of Astrophysics Outreach at Caltech
TITLE: Understanding the Formation and Evolution of Galaxies
Our Milky Way is just one of countless galaxies scattered throughout the universe. Most galaxies contain billions of stars, planets, gas, dust, and an invisible substance known as dark matter, all bound together by gravity. While telescope observations have taught us a great deal about how galaxies work, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. In this talk, we’ll explore how astronomers use some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers to recreate galaxies in virtual universes, revealing new insights into how they form, grow, and evolve over billions of years. Along the way, we’ll discover what these simulations can tell us about the past—and future—of our own Milky Way galaxy, including its eventual collision with our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy.
Dr. Cameron Hummels is a Research Scientist and Director of Astrophysics Outreach at Caltech. He studies how galaxies like our own Milky Way form and evolve over billions of years, using some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers to model the complex interplay between stars, gas, dark matter, and black holes throughout cosmic history.
He earned a degree in computer science from Pomona College before receiving his PhD in astronomy from Columbia University. In addition to his research, Dr. Hummels has organized hundreds of astronomy outreach events, lectures, and star parties across California and the American West. He works extensively with the National Park Service to support dark-sky programming in parks including Death Valley, Sequoia, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon National Park, where he served as Astronomer in Residence.
Dr. Hummels has also served as a scientific advisor for film and media projects, including Disney’s 2023 feature film *Crater*. In recognition of his contributions to public engagement with astronomy, he was awarded the 2026 Shapley Lecture Prize by the American Astronomical Society.
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 pres@eastbayastro.org, or come by the workshop any Friday to see what it’s all about.
Dr. Simon Steel is Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, located in Mountain View, California. He is interested in galaxies, black holes and, of course, aliens.
Outreach
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.
Inquire about and request visits by e-mailing EAS Outreach Coordinator Raymond Howard at outreach@eastbayastro.org. Visit our outreach page to find out about upcoming events.
Members Only Viewing Nights (MOVN)
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.
2026 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 the nights of Monday August 10th through Saturday August 15th, with New Moon occurring on Wednesday August 12. That’s six nights, leaving the site by noon on Sunday the 16th. Registration is required and now open.
Please read and follow these instructions carefully.
Before sending payments for reservations ($125 per night*, per person), even if you’ve been there before, please contact our coordinators at FIRST (barcroft@eastbayastro.org) to ensure the dates you wish to attend are available. You will also be asked to read the current Barcroft Writeup (ver 1.8b), 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.
The cost, this year, is $125 per night for each person, and these are the requirements that must be met in order to get the “Good To Go!” stamp of approval. It’s a little involved, but not difficult.
0. You must be either an EAS, Tri-Valley or Mount Diablo club member or guest of a member
1. Contact our Barcroft coordinators at barcroft@eastbayastro.org to find out if the dates you’d like to stay are still available
2. Provide your attestation that you’ve read the current Barcroft Writeup v1.8b
3. Sign/return the Barcroft waiver(s) (which we will send you in reply to your completing Step 1)
4. Provide your current cell phone number
5. Provide an emergency contact name and phone number
6. Indicate any special dietary requirements
7. Provide payment for however many days you want to stay (at $125 per day) (PayPal/Credit Card Only at EAS Events Page )
Refunds are possible up to 10 days (August 1st) before the start of the event.
Note: Please do the steps outlined above in sequence. Thank you.
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.
Space at Barcroft is limited to a maximum of 25 people per day, so to ensure you get the days you want, make your reservations early. When entering the range of dates you plan to attend, please indicate the starting night (the day you arrive) and the ending night (the date of the evening before you actually leave.)
GSSP – Golden State Star Party
GSSP 2026 is scheduled for July 11 – July 15 at Frosty Acres Ranch in Adin, CA.For more information visit https://goldenstatestarparty.org/
Calstar
Spring Calstar 2026 is scheduled for April 15 – April 19 at Lake San Antonio. Fall Calstar will be held on September 9 – September 13. For more information visit https://calstar.observers.org/