Astronomy
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting
The purpose of the American Geophysical Union is to promote discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. The AGU 2018 Fall Meeting will mark another dynamic year of discovery in Earth and space science, serve as the advent of AGU’s Centennial year, and provide a special opportunity to share our science with world leaders in Washington, D.C. As the largest Earth and space…
Is it Possible to See Other Worlds from the Stratosphere? HiCIBaS: The First Proof of Concept to Fly Soon
Space-based telescopes are key to efforts to image and characterize exoplanets -- planets that orbit stars other than Earth’s Sun. But these endeavors come at a great cost—and are not always affordable to astronomers who are pressed for funds to launch such telescopes. That’s why a group of scientists led by Simon Thibault, a professor at Quebec’s Université Laval, is proposing a …
Andrew Siemion Elected as Member to International Academy of Astronautics
Congratulations to Andrew Siemion! The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has elected its 2018 new Academicians, including the SETI Institute's Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI Research, Andrew Siemion. Siemion is named as a Corresponding Member on Basic Sciences. Founded in 1960, the IAA is a non-governmental organization whose goals are to "foster the development of astronautics…
Look for other meteors during the Perseids
This weekend's Perseids promise to be exceptional because the Moon will not dim the display. For observers in the United States, the most interesting time to watch, perhaps, is on Sunday evening, August 12, when the meteoroids enter the atmosphere at a shallow angle, creating long streaks. Highest rates are in the early morning hours on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. "The Perseids are a great…
Near-Earth Asteroids and Spacecraft Missions
Michael Busch is a planetary astronomer who specializes in studying near-Earth asteroids, primarily with radar and radio techniques. He completed his PhD in planetary science at Caltech; and worked as a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA and at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory before joining the SETI Institute as a research scientist in 2013. For more information, visit http://www.…
July 14-22, 2018 COSPAR 2018: Committee on Space Research
COSPAR's objectives are to promote on an international level scientific research in space, with emphasis on the exchange of results, information and opinions, and to provide a forum, open to all scientists, for the discussion of problems that may affect scientific space research. These objectives are achieved through the organization of Scientific Assemblies, publications and other means. SETI…
East Bay Astronomical Society
The general meeting allows all members and any non-members to come together and enjoy a EAS Talk on a scientific subject. The event will be held in the Galileo room. Please enter through the gate located along the service road behind the main entrance to the Chabot Space and Science Center. Michael Busch, Research Scientist at the SETI Institute, will present. https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/event…
The Sombrero Galaxy As Seen From Cities
We’re happy to share with you an update from our partner, Unistellar. The team has recently collected a pair of images of the glorious Sombrero Galaxy (M104 in the Messier Catalog) taken during recent observing runs. The first near Marseille, in the south of France, on May 17 and the second from San Francisco, California, on May 14. As usual, these are unedited images, and they clearly show what…
Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series: Cosmic Gold – Neutron Star Mergers, Gravitational Waves and the Origin of Heavy Elements
This Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series event has passed, but a video of the lecture can be found here. Dr. Eliot Quataert of the University of California, Berkeley, will give a free, illustrated, non-technical talk. Scientists have recently developed a new way to `see' the universe, using the gravitational waves predicted by Einstein nearly a century ago. These waves can teach us about…