Past Meetings 2020

 

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 SLAS Regular Meeting
Friday, December 18, 2020 7:30pm
Pulsars – Timekeepers of the Cosmos
by
Dr. Maura McLaughlin of West Virginia University

Dr. Maura McLaughlin of West Virginia University will be featured at the December meeting of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held via Zoom online conference only, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting and lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 18. 
   Pulsars are neutron stars that are formed in supernova explosions following the collapse of massive evolved stars. These exotic objects are more massive than the Sun. They have been compressed by gravity into a sphere that is typically smaller than a city, and they can spin over 700 times a second. They have extremely high magnetic fields - over a trillion times the strength of Earth’s. These properties make them energetic sources of radio waves, which are beamed along their magnetic axes. We detect a "pulse" of radio emission once every pulsar rotation period, in a similar manner to a lighthouse. The rotation periods of pulsars can be measured incredibly precisely, making these "cosmic clocks" excellent laboratories for fundamental physics experiments. Dr. McLaughlin will give an overview of pulsars and their properties. She will also describe several recent highlights of pulsar research, including the search for gravitational waves from the most massive black holes in the universe.
   Dr. Maura McLaughlin is the Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University and Director of the Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology. She studies pulsars using the world's largest radio telescopes.  She is Co-Director of the NANOGrav Physics Frontiers Center, which aims to detect gravitational waves using high-precision timing observations of these cosmic clocks 

To get the link to the zoom conference if you are a non-member of SLAS,
simply send a request to the following email:

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Agenda

Social hour 7:00-7:30
7:30 - Introductions - Officers and Visitors
Speaker - Dr. Maura McLaughlin
A101 - The Great Conjunction - AL pin available
Budget! Review and Vote on accepting the budget for 2021
Shirts and Mugs for sale!
SOLSTICE ATTENDANCE PRIZES FOR MEMBERS
Zoom
Announcements
Upcoming events
Social Hour - 30 min after meeting conclusion or 10:30 Which ever is earlier.

 

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 SLAS Regular Meeting
Friday, November 20, 2020

Mirror Asymmetry in Life and in Space

by
Dr. Brett McGuire
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

   Dr. Brett McGuire of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will be featured at the November meeting of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held via Zoom online conference only, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting and lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 20.  Zoom access information is posted below.
 
   Most organic molecules exist in two forms that are mirror images of each other.  One of the great unanswered questions in our evolutionary history is why all life forms on Earth and their critical biological molecules, such as amino acids and proteins, use only one of these forms. For instance, sugars are exclusively right-handed, amino acids are left-handed, and even DNA coils into right-handed helices. The phenomenon of single handedness is called homochirality. How and why did our single-handed world emerge? Dr. McGuire will describe how we can peer into the center of our galaxy for the answer. He will also talk about the current understanding of how such an excess may have arisen in the interstellar medium and before the formation of the Solar System.
     Dr. Brett McGuire is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at MIT. He and his colleagues use the tools of physical chemistry, molecular spectroscopy, and observational astrophysics to understand how the chemical ingredients for life evolve with and help shape the formation of stars and planets.

To get the link to the zoom conference if you are a non-member of SLAS,
simply send a request to the following email:

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Agenda

Social hour 7:00-7:30
7:30 - Introductions - Officers and Visitors
Speaker - Dr. Brett McGuire
A101 - None
Budget!
Announcements
Upcoming events
Social Hour - 30 min after meeting conclusion or 10:30 Which ever is earlier.

 

 

 

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SLAS Regular Meeting

Friday, October 16, 2020 7:30 pm

Black Holes: Astrophysics Final Frontier

by

Dr. Marco Cavaglia
Missouri University of Science and Technology

 Dr. Marco Cavaglia of the Missouri University of Science and Technology, will be featured at the October meeting of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held via Zoom online conference only, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting and lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 16. Zoom access information is posted on the Society’s website, www.slasonline.org  . The event, cosponsored by NASA's Missouri Space Grant Consortium, is open to the public free of charge.

      In 1916 Albert Einstein published a paper demonstrating that space and time can be warped in the shape of a wave. One hundred years later, scientists announced the first observation of a "ripple of space-time" from two colliding black holes. Astrophysicists have discovered that black holes are ubiquitous in the universe. They come in (almost) all sizes, rule galaxies from their centers, make gold and platinum, and power the most energetic known phenomena in the sky. Black holes may even provide clues to the nature of the most mysterious substance yet to be found, dark matter.

     Dr. Marco Cavaglia is Professor of Physics at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. He has authored over 230 publications in scientific journals. His scientific interests are in gravitational physics, astrophysics, theoretical physics, and education and public outreach.

 

To get the link to the zoom conference if you are a non-member of SLAS,
simply send a request to the following email:

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Agenda

Social hour 7:00-7:30
7:30 - Introductions - Officers and Visitors
Speaker - Marco Gavaglia
A101 - Telescope SALE!!!
Announcements
Upcoming events
Social Hour - 30 min after meeting conclusion or 10:30 Which ever is earlier.

 

 

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 SLAS Regular Meeting

September 18, 2020 7:30 pm

Water, Water, Everywhere: From the Study
of Meteorites to the Origin of Earth's Water

by

Dr. Lionel Vacher
Washington University

Dr. Lionel Vacher of Washington University, will be featured at the September meeting of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held via Zoom online conference only, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting and lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 18. Zoom access information is posted below.
    Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, to an average ocean depth of almost 2.5 miles. Where did all that water come from?  The origin of Earth’s oceans is a major topic of modern planetary science research. Most theories about the formation of the Earth propose that our planet formed too close to the Sun to retain large quantities of water. Dr. Vacher will explain the leading theories for the original source of Earth’s water, and indicate how his own studies of certain types of meteorites may provide some answers to water questions.
    Dr. Lionel Vacher is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Physics at Washington University.  His primary research interests include “primitive” meteorites, the origin of water in the solar system, the effects of water on meteorite chemistry, and hydrothermal experiments.

To get the link to the zoom conference if you are a non-member of SLAS,
simply send a request to the following email:

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Agenda

Social hour 7:00-7:30
SLAS Slide Show
7:30 - Introductions - Officers and Visitors
Speaker - Dr. Lionel Vacher
A101 - Attendance prizes
Announcements
Upcoming events
Social Hour - 30 min after meeting conclusion or 10:30 Which ever is earlier.

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 SLAS Regular Meeting

August 21, 2020 7:30 pm

Standing on the Shoulders of Apollo 15: Past and Future Lunar Exploration

by

Jeffrey Gillis-Davis, PhD  

Washington University

     Dr. Jeffrey Gillis-Davis of  Washington University, will be featured at the August meeting of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held via Zoom online conference only, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

    Only 27 people have traveled to the Moon, and only twelve have walked upon its surface. Apollo 15, the fourth successful lunar landing mission, launched on July 26, 1971. Dr. Gillis-Davis will talk about the science and exploration of the Moon, from Apollo 15 to the upcoming NASA Artemis mission to return astronauts to the Moon in 2024. Forty-nine years ago, Apollo 15 was the first of what were called the Apollo "J" missions. Apollo 15 was capable of a longer stay time, greater surface mobility, and more significant science than previous missions. The return to the Moon with Artemis will be building upon Apollo, advancements in human spaceflight, and commercial and international partnerships. Apollo and Artemis are benchmarks for current and future lunar exploration. As Isaac Newton wrote in the 17th century, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

     Dr. Gillis-Davis has been a Research Associate Professor of Physics at Washington University since 2018. For the prior fifteen years, he worked at the University of Hawaii. His research there involved data from NASA’s MESSENGER mission, which orbited Mercury, and radar data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission. At Washington University, he is the principal investigator of NASA’s Interdisciplinary Consortium for Exploring Volatile Origins. This team of international researchers studies the origin, evolution, and interactions of volatiles on the Moon and asteroids.

To get the link to the zoom conference if you are a non-member of SLAS,
simply send a request to the following email:

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Agenda

Social hour 7:00-7:30
SLAS Slide Show
Introductions - Officers and Visitors
Speaker - Jeffery Gillis-Davis
A101 - Quick JC Observatory Update
Announcements
Social Hour - 30 min after meeting conclusion or 10:30 Which ever is earlier.

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 SLAS Regular Meeting

July 17, 2020 7:30 pm

Quasars: Black Holes, Bright Lights!

by

Amy E Kimball, PhD

NRAO National Radio Astronomy Observatory (Zoom)

Dr. Amy Kimball of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), will be featured at the July meeting of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held via Zoom online conference only, due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting and lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 17. Zoom access information is posted on the Society’s website, www.slasonline.org  . The event, cosponsored by NASA's Missouri Space Grant Consortium, is open to the public free of charge.
      Quasars are very bright, very distant objects first found by the powerful radio waves that many emit. They must generate tremendous amounts of energy to be visible across a billion or more light years. Dr. Kimball will explain how quasars are detected and mapped and why astronomers think that supermassive black holes are linked to the quasar power source. She will also talk about her work with the Very Large Array, an interconnected group of twenty-seven massive radio telescopes, each with a disk over eighty feet across.   
      Dr. Amy Kimball is a staff scientist at the NRAO headquarters in Socorro, NM. She assists astronomers worldwide who use the Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope facility.  She is also the Head of Operations of the VLA Sky Survey, which is in the process of imaging the entire radio sky visible from New Mexico.  Dr. Kimball uses the VLA and other telescopes (both radio and non-radio) to study the demographics of quasars--- super-massive black holes at the centers of large galaxies.

To get the link to the zoom conference if you are a non-member of SLAS,
simply send a request to the following email:

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Agenda

Social hour 6:30-7:30
Introductions - Officers and Visitors
Speaker - Dr. Amy Kimball
A101 - Comet Neowise images and stories
Announcements
Social Hour - 30 min after meeting conclusion

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SLAS Regular Meeting
7:30PM, Friday, June 19th

Not So Starry, Starry Night - Quantifying and
Combating Light Pollution

by

Vayujeet Gokhale, PhD  
Truman State University

  Dr. Vayujeet Gokhale of Truman State University will be featured at the June meeting of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held via Zoom online conference only, due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting and lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 19. Zoom access information is shown in the article below.  
   At any given moment, half of the Earth’s surface is experiencing night. But night isn’t dark anymore, for most of the United States and much of the whole world. Electrification and industrialization have altered the nature of the night and upset ecological balance in our environment. In this talk, Dr. Gokhale will review some of the latest research on the phenomenon of light pollution, its harmful effects, and ways of mitigating it. He will discuss the rationale behind the ‘Sky Brightness Measurement’ program offered by the Missouri chapter of the International Dark Sky Association. This is an effort to quantify the sky brightness at various locations across the state of Missouri. The data gathered will help to solve the primary research question: How do local weather conditions such as cloud cover, humidity, temperature etc. affect the sky brightness measurements at a given location? Dr. Gokhale will conclude with a review of the efforts made at Truman State University to reduce light pollution, and provide a recipe for initiating similar initiatives in other towns and cities.
    Dr. Vayujeet Gokhale is an associate professor of Physics at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Dr. Gokhale‘s research interests include studying Eclipsing Binary stars, astrobiology, and light pollution.

You may watch the recorded meeting via the Facebook livestream
on the Dark Sky Missouri Facebook page. 
No Facebook account required.
Here is the link:  https://www.facebook.com/DarkSkyMissouri/

Here are the websites that Dr. Gokhale mentioned in his talk:

Dark Sky Missouri

www.darkskymissouri.org

Video: 'Saving the Dark' A film on Light Pollution by  Sriram Murali

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fHxNn-FEnc

Globe at Night program for light pollution

https://www.globeatnight.org/

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SLAS Regular Meeting
7:30pm Friday, May 15, 2020

This meeting will be held by Zoom Conference ONLY.
There will be NO physical presence at Washington University
Information for participating in the meeting is below.

Journey to Farpoint: NASA's New Horizons Mission
Encounters the Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth
by
Dr. William B. McKinnon
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Washington University

Dr. William B. McKinnon of Washington University, will be featured at the May meeting of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held via Zoom online conference only, due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting and lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 15. Zoom access information is posted on the Society’s website, www.slasonline.org  .
      Located about four billion miles from Earth and about one billion miles beyond Pluto, Arrokoth is the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft. During its historic encounter with Arrokoth early in morning of New Year's Day 2019, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft sent back images and data from this small icy object only 22 miles long.  As a "cold classical Kuiper Belt Object," it is thought to have been preserved in place since the beginning of the Solar System. The data sent back has allowed us to get some understanding of Arrokoth’s geology, composition, and its formation and origin. What has been revealed is a breakthrough in our ideas about the beginnings of planet formation.
      Dr. Bill McKinnon is a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and a member of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University. His research focuses on the structure, origin, evolution, tectonics and bombardment histories of outer planet satellites and bodies in the Kuiper belt beyond. He is a science team member on NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper belt, serving as a deputy lead investigator for the Geology, Geophysics & Imaging Team. He is also a science team member for the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer and NASA’s Europa Clipper missions.

Meeting Agenda

Welcome
Introduction of Officers and Guests
 
Dr. William McKinnon

Elections

A101 - Bill Breeden Virtual stargazing!

Announcements

 

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SLAS Regular Meeting
7:30pm Friday, April 17, 2020

This meeting will be held by Zoom Conference ONLY.
There will be NO physical presence at Washington University
Information for participating in the meeting is below.

Planetary Climates
by
Dr. Ray Arvidson
Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Washington University

Venus, Earth, and Mars, the terrestrial planets, provide rather divergent examples of climatic evolution. Venus, with its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere, and consequent runaway greenhouse, has incredibly hot surface temperatures. Perhaps Venus never had oceans to absorb the carbon dioxide and make carbonate rocks such as limestone. Earth, on the other hand, is in the “habitable zone” with the right mix of volcanic gas emissions and solar radiation that keeps us on average above freezing, including sequestration of carbon dioxide in the marine rock record. Mars, based on orbital and landed data (particularly from Curiosity’s observations), once had the right combination of volcanic emissions and solar radiation to keep the surface above freezing. However, this climatic regime only existed early in geologic time. We will explore what keeps a planet warm and wet, thus suitable for life, and what we expect to happen to Earth’s climate over the next century

Meeting Agenda
Welcome
Introduction of Officers and Guests
 
Dr. Ray Arvidson

Upcoming Star Parties and Events
Announcements

 

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SLAS Regular Meeting
7:30pm Friday, March 20, 2020

This meeting will be held by Zoom Conference ONLY.
There will be NO physical presence at Washington University
Information for participating in the meeting will be below.

Carl Lampland, Pioneer Infrared Astronomer
by
Joe Marcus
St Louis Astronomical Society

Until about a century ago, we observed the universe using light emitted by stars or reflected by planets and moons. Beginning in 1920, astronomers “looked” at stars and then planets using infrared radiation (IR). We sense IR directly as heat. Physicist William Coblentz designed an instrument to measure the temperature of stars. Working with astronomer Carl Lampland, they modified the instrument so that it could detect and record the heat reflected by planets and the Moon. Lampland’s research discoveries included the cold temperature of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, the very hot temperature of Venus, the relatively mild temperature of parts of daytime Mars, and the temperatures of some comets. Dr. Marcus will explain how the Coblentz-Lampland heat detectors worked and how their research greatly improved our knowledge of the planets.

Dr. Joseph Marcus is a retired pathologist and veteran amateur astronomer with particular interest in comets. He edited the internationally circulated Comet News Service, based at the McDonnell Planetarium in Forest Park, between 1975 and 1986. He has continued his comet research and disseminated results in scientific journals and in lectures to both technical and general audiences.

Meeting Agenda
Welcome
Introduction of Officers and Guests
 
Joe Marcus

Upcoming Star Parties and Events
Announcements

To get the link to the zoom conference if you are a non-member of SLAS,
simply send a request to the following email:

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

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SLAS Regular Meeting
7:30pm Friday, February 21, 2020
McDonnell Hall, Room 162
Washington University

Probing the Sub-Microwave Universe

by

K Michael Malolepszy
St Louis Astronomical Society

     In addition to telescopes that use light waves to form images, there are now instruments that “see” the universe in invisible radiation. X-rays, heat, and radio waves are examples. In the high, frozen deserts of northern Chile is a device, nicknamed ALMA, which detects sub-microwave radiation. Michael Malolepszy will talk about recent research using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ALMA is not strictly a radio telescope, since sub-microwave energies have higher frequencies than radio energies. But it does operate very much like a radio telescope interferometer such as the Very Large Array (VLA) near Socorro, New Mexico. ALMA is an array of 66 high-precision, movable antennas, which can be linked together to form one image. Mr. Malolepszy will present some of ALMA’s recent discoveries about galaxies,  galaxy clusters, and supermassive black holes. Perhaps of greatest interest for both scientists and the general public is the collaboration between ALMA and several other millimeter observatories in the Event Horizon Telescope project. What has been learned about supermassive black holes through sub-millimeter astronomy will be discussed as well as how the “first image of a black hole” was obtained
    Michael Malolepszy is a veteran amateur astronomer. Now employed by the Department of Biology at Washington University, he formerly worked as a Radio Telescope Array Operator at the VLA. Mr. Malolepszy also presents planetarium programs at the St. Louis Science Center.

Meeting Agenda