Upcoming Events
The 2010 Public Nights are now available as a mini-poster! Download the 1.2MB pdf.
CAA Public Observing Nights
A young observer peers through the CAA's Celestron 16 telescope.
At least 12 Saturday evenings each year the CAA hosts a Public Observing Night featuring a guest speaker followed—weather permitting—by an evening of celestial viewing. During viewing hours, society members will be available to answer questions and provide everyone with an opportunity to look through the Society's telescopes and those of our members.
Public observing nights are held in the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center at the Palisades-Dows Observatory and Preserve through a generous agreement with the Linn County Conservation Department. For directions, please visit our maps page or download a pdf version (276 kB.)
The Cedar Amateur Astronomers, Inc. is a participating member of NASA's Night Sky Network.
The 2010 Public Night Schedule
The list of presentation topics and speakers will be updated as it becomes available.
March 6, 7:30 p.m.
The Case for Pluto
Presenter: Alan Boyle, MSNBC Science Editor
Never again can Pluto be the
smallest planet, or the ninth planet. But can't dwarf
planets be planets, too? In "The Case for Pluto,"
MSNBC science editor Alan Boyle shows that the history of
planetary science never did run smooth, previews the wonders
that are waiting for us on the edge of the solar system and
beyond, and makes the case that Pluto and its little pals
deserve to be restored to an honored place in the planetary
lineup. Weather permitting, observing through CAA telescopes
will follow.
March 13, 7:30 p.m.
The Astronomy of Star Trek
Presenter: Brent Studer, Kirkwood Community College
In the early years of the Space Age, Gene
Roddenberry envisioned a time when Humankind peacefully traveled
to the stars and explored our galaxy while last year a feature
movie breathed new life into the decades old adventure. Beam
over tonight for an encore and updated talk about where
the writers got the science right and where they got things
a bit wrong. Weather permitting, observing through CAA
telescopes will follow.
April 24, 8 p.m. (Astronomy Day)
A Brief History of Predicted Astronomical Calamities
and the Truth Behind 2012
Presenter: Brent Studer, Kirkwood Community College
In addition to hundreds of websites, dozens of books are devoted to the
year 2012 and its supposed connection to the Mayan calendar and other
global changes. Tonight, previous astronomically-related doomsday
predictions will be explored and truth will be separated from fiction
and hype regarding December 21, 2012. Weather permitting, observing
through CAA telescopes will follow.
May 15, 8:30 p.m.
A Guided Tour of Hubble Space Telescope Images
Presenter: Kara Beauchamp, Associate Professor of Physics, Cornell College
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has a primary purpose as a scientific research
instrument, and its use has resulted in thousands of scientific papers. However,
the telescope has also produced beautiful images which pique our imaginations about
outer space. The HST has taken detailed pictures of objects as close to us as planets
in our solar system and as far away as the most distant observable galaxies. In
between, there are many fascinating objects to observe in our own galaxy. The HST
has captured star-forming regions as well as the remnants of stars after their
explosive deaths. These objects are shown in brilliant color, but are these colors
what we would see if we looked at these objects directly? This talk focuses on why
the HST images look the way they do, and what the colors tell us about the objects in
the images. Weather permitting, observing through CAA telescopes will follow.
May 22, 8:30 p.m.
The Moon
Presenter: Doug Slauson, Cedar Amateur Astronomers
The Moon is the most easily-observed body in the night sky. Long ago the Moon
was thought to be a "perfect sphere" and, in more recent centuries,
it was thought to be inhabited by intelligent beings and covered with seas.
Modern observations show the Moon is a desolate, airless body but yet it harbors
water ice at its poles. Doug will explain the Moon's structure, the work and
speculation of early lunar observers, the latest discoveries, and he will
highlight visual examples of the marvelous features visible with backyard
telescopes. Weather permitting, we will observe the Moon to see many of
the lava-filled impact basins, craters, and mountainous regions featured
during the lecture.
June 12, 9 p.m.
Our Neighborhood in Space
Presenter: Professor Steven Spangler, The University of Iowa
Astronomers have long known that spiral galaxies, including our
Milky Way galaxy, are laden with clouds of gas and dust. Professor
Spangler will discuss small clouds in the interstellar medium in
the vicinity of our own sun. The Sun is actually immersed in
one of these clouds! This topic is the subject of some of Dr.
Spanger's current research projects. Following the presentation,
telescopes will be available to examine examples of interstellar
clouds as well as other gems in the night sky if weather permits. Weather
permitting, observing through CAA telescopes will follow.
July 10, 9 p.m.
Sizing Up Black Holes
Presenter: Professor Phil Kaaret, The University of Iowa
Professor Kaaret will discuss why astronomers believe black holes exist,
how we find them, and the different types of black holes in the universe.
Weather permitting, observing through CAA telescopes will follow.
July 17, 3 – 6 p.m.
Solar Cycle 24
Presenter: Carl Bracken, The Cedar Amateur Astronomers
Solar observing warning: sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and properly
filtered telescopes are required! We will provide the properly filtered
telescopes, you bring the rest. Carl will explore the latest solar observing
techniques and mission updates. The presentation will show up-to-date
information about the various regular solar observing operations that take
place everyday—from ground based sites and orbiting satellites dedicated
to solar observing—and how that information is used to relate back to
everyday life on the surface and for ISS crews in orbit. We will also showcase
modern user-friendly solar telescopes and safe observing practices. Weather
permitting, direct solar observation will follow the presentation on the grounds of the EIOLC.
August 7, 8:30 p.m.
Are We Alone? Searching for Life in the Universe
Presenter: Professor Robert Mutel, The University of Iowa
Are we alone? In this lecture, Dr. Mutel will discuss the scientific foundations of
this question as well as the technology behind current and planned searches for
extraterrestrial life in the solar system and on extra-solar planets. He will
also briefly summarize the history of life's evolution on Earth, and the
likelihood that such conditions may exist elsewhere in the universe. Finally,
Dr. Mutel will speculate about the possible cultural consequences of a
detection. Weather permitting, observing through CAA telescopes will follow.
September 11, 8 p.m.
Iowa's Astronomical Rocket Program
Presenter: Asst. Professor Randall McEntaffer, The University of Iowa
The university of Iowa has a long tradition of suborbital rocket flights. Recently,
Dr. Randall McEntaffer has joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy and continues
this tradition in the area of astronomy. His talk will concentrate on NASA's suborbital
rocket program, the results from recent astronomical flights, and plans for upcoming
missions. Weather permitting, observing through CAA telescopes will follow.
October 9, 7:30 pm.
Astronomy in the Hawkeye State
Presenters: Doug Slauson and Brent Studer
Many people are familiar with the name of James Van Allen, but Iowa's astronomical
heritage goes back long before the pioneering space physicist helped usher in the
Space Age. Tonight, Brent and Doug will talk about astronomical events in Iowa's
history, provide a brief history of astronomy at The University of Iowa and around the
state, and describe upcoming events that will of interest to tonight's audience and
their descendants. Weather permitting, observing through CAA telescopes—including
the 24-inch Boller & Chivens formerly owned by The University of Iowa—will
follow the presentation.
November 6, 7:30 p.m.
Einstein vs. Galileo: Eppur Si Muove?
Presenter: Professor Kenneth Gayley, The University of Iowa
A fascinating characteristic of physics is that the answers it provides for
certain eternal questions get reprised with each fundamentally new physical
theory. An excellent example is provided by that most basic question of the
cosmic motion of our own home, the Earth. Most interested people are aware
of the progress of astronomical inquiry into this question up until the
time of Galileo and Newton, but the ways this question has further evolved,
and may continue to evolve, receive less general attention. For example,
it is not widely appreciated that certain aspects of Einstein's approach to
motion, inspired by Mach, are not consistent with the Galilean doctrine of
"eppur si muove." Dr. Gayley will explore what we can, and cannot, say about
the motion of the Earth, and in the process attempt to explore the very
meaning of astronomical knowledge. Weather permitting, observing through CAA telescopes will follow.
2010 NCRAL Convention
Plan on attending the Astronomical League's North Central Region convention in 2010. Check this page for more information as it becomes available.
