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 this meeting will be hybrid, in-person and on zoom/facebook. Our speaker will join us IN PERSON in Classroom 3 & 4 / Kepler-Copernicus), as well as in our on-line meeting.
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.
TITLE: Characterizing exoplanets with Webb and the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is making incredible strides in our understanding of exoplanets, planets outside of our own Solar System. In its first two years alone, it observed more transiting exoplanets than Hubble has done to date, and JWST data are revealing far more about these strange worlds. The presentation will review our current knowledge of exoplanets, how they differ from Solar System planets, their major unresolved mysteries, and show how JWST observations are providing clues about their compositions, formation, and climates. This will include assessments of the atmospheres and habitability of rocky, Earth-sized planets around nearby small stars.
The talk will also describe current ideas for the NASA Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) that is expected to launch in the 2040s. HWO will also study the Universe in ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light with far more sensitivity and detail than Hubble, answering questions about how galaxies grow and how stars impact their neighborhoods and ultimately die. The presentation will conclude by explaining how HWO will observe temperate Earth-sized planets around Sun-like stars to search for signs of life to address the question “Are we alone?”
About the Speaker
Thomas Greene is an Astrophysicist in the Space Science and Astrobiology Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center and a member of the Habitable Worlds Observatory project team. His research interests include observational studies of young stars and exoplanets as well as developing astronomical observatories and instrumentation. Greene was a co-investigator on the JWST NIRCam and MIRI JWST instruments and is now leading the MANATEE guaranteed time observing program to characterize exoplanets with those instruments. While at NASA Ames he has served as the Director of the Ames Center for Exoplanet Studies, Project Scientist of the SOFIA mission, and Chief of the Astrophysics Branch. Before joining NASA, he was a staff scientist at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, on the faculty of the University of Hawaii, and on the staff of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. Greene received a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Arizona.
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
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 [email protected]. 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.
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 Wednesday August 20th through Monday August 25th. That’s six nights, leaving the site by noon on Tuesday the 26th. Registration is required and now open.
Please read and follow these instructions carefully.
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 current Barcroft Writeup (ver 1.7), 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.
So, three steps to apply:
1. Attest in writing/email that you read the current Barcroft Writeup and sign the Waiver.
2. Email Don Saito at the above address to check reservation availability and make reservation.
3. Pay the number of days reserved via PayPal or check/snail-mail.
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.)
* This rate is expected to increase in the not too distant future.
Calstar
Spring Calstar 2025 is scheduled for April 23 – April 27 at Lake San Antonio. Fall Calstar will be held on September 17 – September 21. For more information visit https://calstar.observers.org/