May 19, 8:00pm — Is That Deep Glow in the Night Sky Real?Laura Peticolas, Assoc Director of Education & Outreach, Sonoma State UniversityThe Northern Lights can appear as a deep red glow here in California. In Alaska, it more often appears as a bright green band, glowing across the night sky. Come learn more about […]
Jun 16, 8:00pm — MISSION: MARSPascal Lee, Planetary Scientist, Mars& SETI InstitutesWe are making progress globally — from the Arctic to Antarctica, from basementlabs to the International Space Station — to achieve the first humanvoyage to Mars. Come explore the what, why, how, when, and who of ourfirst journey to the Red Planet.Parking Pass Required! Visit https://www.friendsofmttam.org/astronomy.htmlfor directions, […]
Jul 14, 8:00pm — Search for a Second Genesis of Life: Motive, Means, and OpportunityAlfonso Davila, Research Astronomer, NASA Ames Research CenterUnderstanding the concept of a second genesis and how to search for it. With the recent discovery of habitable environments beyond Earth, including the subsurface oceans of icy moons in the outer Solar System, […]
Jul 28, 7:30pm — Sci-Fi MOVIE NIGHT- APOLLO 13 1995 award winning film dramatizes the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission. Screening followed by expose of “fake” science in the film by Jeffrey Silverman and Kishore Hari from Science VS Cinema. Parking Pass Required! Visit https://www.friendsofmttam.org/astronomy.html for directions, parking and parking passes.
Confirmation Code: OMRDLO Anne Elisabeth Komer Seat: 17A Ticket: 2792102115734 Frequent Flyer: B6 2042461806 Lars Drew Jensen Seat: 17B Ticket: 2792102115735 Frequent Flyer: B6 2043238045
Confirmation Code: OMRDLO Anne Elisabeth Komer Seat: 16D Ticket: 2792102115734 Frequent Flyer: B6 2042461806 Lars Drew Jensen Seat: 16F Ticket: 2792102115735 Frequent Flyer: B6 2043238045
Aug 18, 8:00pm — The Modern Origins StoryEliot Quataert, Professor of Astronomy,UC BerkeleyOur story begins in the remarkably simple early universe, devoid of thecomplexity around us today. Come learn how the universe has evolved to itscurrent state from simple beginnings: how gravity reigns supreme andbuilds up the planets, stars, and galaxies required for biological evolution toproceed.Parking Pass Required! […]
Sep 15, 7:30pm — Searching for Aliens, Finding OurselvesJill Tarter, Research Chair, SETIInstituteAre we alone? Humans have been asking this question throughout history. Sincethe middle of the 20th century, we have had tools that permit us to explorethis question scientifically. As we look up and look out, we are forced to seeourselves from a cosmic perspective. […]
Oct 13, 7:00pm — Gravitational Waves and the Glow ofCosmic GoldDaniel Kasen, Assoc. Professor ofAstronomy, UC BerkeleyIn October 2017, Earthlings detected gravitational waves — ripples in thefabric of space-time — from the violent merger of two ultra-dense neutronstars. The signals showed that collision debris self-assembled into heavyelements, such as gold and platinum, providing an explanation for […]
Exoplanets: The How, What & Why of Planets Around Other Stars Dr. Megan Ansdell, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Integrative Planetary Sciences, UC Berkeley In the last decade, the commissioning of new observatories (both on Earth and in space) and the development of new techniques for analyzing large datasets (including the application of deep learning) have […]
The Largest 3D Maps of Our Universe Dr. Josh Dillon, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Astronomy Department, UC Berkeley The last century has seen a revolution in our understanding of the cosmos, including its age—13.8 billion years—and content: 95% dark matter & dark energy; 5% normal matter! To test cosmology theories and to grasp how stars and galaxies […]
Gravitational Lensing: Bends in Space-time Fatima Abdurrahman, Doctoral Candidate, Astronomy Department, UC Berkeley 100 years ago, Einstein predicted that light rays would deviate from straight-line paths in the space near massive objects. Today, we use this fact to weigh galaxies, discover planets of other stars, and “see” invisible black holes. How did this idea of […]
Cassini's Spectacular Final Year at Saturn Dr. Matthew Tiscareno, Senior Research Scientist, SETI Institute Cassini’s 13-year exploration of Saturn stands as the most successful interplanetary mission in NASA history. Its "Grand Finale” (with dives off the outer ring edge, and between inner rings & cloud tops) culminated with a plunge into Saturn’s depths. Insights earned […]
Astrobiology Under Our Feet & Out to the Stars Dr. Penelope Boston, Director, NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA Ames Research Center The Age of Astrobiology has begun. We have a whole Solar System—and a galaxy of star-warmed worlds beyond—to explore for life. How do we look for life here and way out there? How will we […]
MISSION: MARS Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist, Mars & SETI Institutes We are making progress globally—from the Arctic to Antarctica, from underground labs to the International Space Station—to achieve the first human voyage to Mars. Come explore the what, why, how, when, and who of our first journey to the Red Planet. For directions and […]
SCI-FI MOVIE NIGHT: THE MARTIAN 2015 film starring Matt Damon depicts the struggles of an astronaut left behind on Mars as he awaits rescue. Post-screening discussion by Jeffrey Silverman of Science VS Cinema For directions and more information https://www.friendsofmttam.org/astronomy.html Note: No Star Viewing on Movie Night
Illuminating Dark Matter Robert McGehee, Doctoral Candidate, Physics Department, UC Berkeley Dark matter is the cosmic parent of all vast structures in the night sky, including our own Milky Way galaxy. Yet, we know so little about this mysterious stuff that constitutes over 80% of the material universe. This talk will illuminate our universe’s elusive […]