Past Meetings - 2024

SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30 pm Friday, December 20, 2024

"Postcards from the Moon" by Robert Reeves

A review of the evolution of the Moon and its geology so the observer can become friends with and understand the Moon as seen through a telescope.

Robert Reeves has been a devoted lunar explorer since 1958, capturing his first lunar photograph in 1959. His journey into telescopic astronomy commenced with a four-inch Criterion Dynascope, a Christmas gift received in 1960. Today, Robert Reeves harnesses the power of a Celestron C11 EdgeHD and a Sky-Watcher 180-mm Maksutov telescope for his lunar photography escapades, all conducted from his Perspective Observatory nestled in central Texas. Robert has published over 250 magazine articles and 250 newspaper columns about astronomy.  His articles have appeared in Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Deep Sky, Deep Sky Journal, Amateur Astronomy, and The Astrograph.  In 1994 Reeves published his first book, The Superpower Space Race, followed by The Conquest of Space, co-authored with Fritz Bronner.  In 2000, Robert published Wide-Field Astrophotography, followed by Introduction to Digital Astrophotophotography in 2005 and Introduction to Webcam Astrophotography in 2006. Robert’s latest book, Exploring the Moon with Robert Reeves, was released in August of 2023.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM Friday, December 20 in McDonnell Hall, Room 162, on the Danforth campus of Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63105. McDonnell Hall is accessible from Forsyth Boulevard via Tolman Way. Free yellow zone and garage parking spaces are available. The event, cosponsored by NASA's Missouri Space Grant Consortium, is open to the public free of charge. The event will also be available via Zoom online conference.

SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, November 15, 2024

"The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin, PhD.;  The Mars Society 

Since the beginning of human history, Mars has been an alluring dream—the stuff of legends, gods, and mystery. The planet most like ours, it has still been thought impossible to reach, let alone explore and inhabit. Unlike the dead world of the Moon, the Martian landscape is filled with possibility, but humans must be able to survive there. Zubrin calls for a travel-light and live-off-the-land approach to Martian settlement. He explains how scientists can use present-day technology to send humans to Mars; produce fuel and oxygen on the planet’s surface with its own natural resources.

Robert Zubrin is an American aerospace engineer, author, and advocate for human exploration of Mars. He and his colleague at Martin Marietta, David Baker, were the driving force behind Mars Direct, a proposal in a 1990 research paper intended to produce significant reductions in the cost and complexity of such a mission.

 SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, October 18, 2024

  "Super Secret Squirrel Stuff" by Pamela Gay, PhD.;  Planetary Science Institute

What is going on in Astronomy and Space Science today? Shhh, it is a secret. Well not really. Come listen to Dr. Pamela Gay talk about topics that are so exciting they could be secret. 

Dr. Pamela Gay is an astronomer, writer, and podcaster focused on using new media to engage people in science and technology. She is the Director of Technology and Citizen Science for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, co-host of the Astronomy Cast podcast, and a member of the team that is building the CosmoQuest virtual research facility. CosmoQuest is a citizen science web site designed to provide the public with opportunities to participate in NASA related science programs, online seminars, and other astronomy events and activities.

 SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, September 20, 2024

  “Who Discovered the Expanding Universe?  Spoiler: Not Hubble!”  by Joseph Marcus, MD;  SLAS Member

To this day, famous cosmologists, astronomers and science writers propagate the canard that it was Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) who discovered the expansion of the universe in 1929.  It was not.  The discovery of the expansion, in 1914, was one of the most important in the history of science.  It led to the “Big Bang” theory of our origin in the 1930s, its confirmation in the 1960s, our present headaches over the value of the “Hubble constant,” and the role of dark matter and dark energy in the fate of the universe.  In this talk I will recount the 1914 discovery, its discoverer, and Hubble’s jealous hegemony in the subsequent story of expansion.  Fast-forward to 2018, when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) renamed the “Hubble law” the “Hubble-Lemaître law” to honor George Lemaître (1894-1966) for his application of Einstein’s general relativity theory to predict the cosmic expansion and the Big Bang.  This new eponym led to pushback from a number of cosmologists and astronomers, for it overlooked the observational discoverer of the expansion, and it misinterpreted the definition of “scientific law.”  To right the wrongs, the IAU, at its 2027 General Assembly in Rome, could either add the discoverer’s eponym to the “Hubble-Lemaître” law, or to the “Hubble” constant – the roughly linear relation between galaxy recession velocities and distances."

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. Dr Marcus is also and Advisory Board Member to Lowell Observatory.

 SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, August 16, 2024

 “Construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center or How We Stacked a Space Shuttle System in Los Angeles, CA.” by Bradley Tsalyuk;  California Science Center

 The California Science Center is advancing a bold project that will transform science learning and create an iconic destination in the Greater Los Angeles region. The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will dramatically expand the footprint and impact of the California Science Center, adding 200,000 square feet of space for exhibits, events and educational programs. It will include three multi-level galleries – Aviation, Space and Shuttle – spanning four floors and includes a diverse collection of aerospace artifacts. Bradley will provide an overview of the project and closer look at the process for creating the 200 foot tall space shuttle stack. The California Science Center will be the only place in the world to see a complete Space Shuttle System with a flown orbiter, Endeavour, mated to real solid rocket boosters and ET-94, the last remaining flight-qualified external tank.

Bradley Tsalyuk is Exhibit Developer at the California Science Center, where he helps create engaging, educational exhibits that inspire a love for science. Currently he is working on the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a 200,000 square foot addition to the Science Center. Previously, he spent 7 years in San Diego working at the San Diego Natural History Museum and The New Children's Museum. Bradley is passionate about lifelong learning and creating memorable exhibits that combine science concepts, immersive spaces, and interactive visitor experiences.

 SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, July 19, 2024

  “Io during the Juno epoch” by Ashley Davies, PhD. ;  Jet Propulsion Laboratory

 The jovian moon Io is intensely volcanic, the result of extreme tidal heating.  NASA’s Juno spacecraft, in a polar orbit around Jupiter, has provided unprecedented views of Io’s poles, allowing a full, global accounting of Io’s extraordinary volcanoes for the first time.  This presentation will cover the latest observations of Io by Juno and JWST (and watch out - here comes SHARK) and what these data have revealed about Io’s volcanoes and interior.

Ashley Gerard Davies is a Principal Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, which he joined in 1994.  He has a Ph.D. in volcanology from Lancaster University in the UK, and specialises in the remote sensing and modelling of volcanic activity.  He was a member of the Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer team, is a Co-Investigator on MISE, the imaging spectrometer on Europa Clipper, and is the author of “Volcanism on Io – a Comparison with Earth”, the definitive guide to Io’s volcanoes.

 Watch the meeting here: June 2024 - Steven Gullberg - Astronomy of the Inka* Empire

SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, June 21, 2024

  “Astronomy of the Inka* Empire” by  Steven R Gullberg, PhD. ;  Univ of Oklahoma

 Astronomy in the Inka Empire was a robust and fundamental practice. The Spanish conquest of the Andes region disrupted much of this Indigenous culture and resulted in a significant loss of information about its rich history. Modern archaeoastronomy helps to recover and interpret some of these elements of Inka civilization.

The Inkas worshipped the Sun, and astronomy was intricately woven into the very fabric of their existence and daily life. Accordingly, research must consider first and foremost the cultural context of each astronomy-related site. This presentation begins with some historical background of the Inkas and then looks at the intentional light and shadow effects that were created in numerous shrines and caves located in the heart of the Inka Empire. Many photos of such events that were captured during field research in places such as Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, and Cusco add visual insight. This fascinating presentation will be enjoyed by all.

 *Inka a variant spelling of Inca based on its source language, Quechua, rather than on the Spanish-language spelling.

 Steve Gullberg, Ph.D. is a professor of integrative studies for the OU College of Professional and ConSteven Gullberg holds a Ph.D. in astronomy and is a Professor of Cultural Astronomy at the University of Oklahoma. He has a significant background in archeoastronomy course development and is President of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Commission C5 Cultural Astronomy. He organized a joint committee between the IAU, the Royal Astronomical Society, and the American Astronomical Society regarding Indigenous sensitivities at culturally sacred sites where observatories exist or are being planned. He as well is Managing Editor of the Journal of Astronomy in Culture. He has conducted extensive field research on the astronomy of the Incas in the Peruvian Andes and in addition to his books has written many research papers which he is regularly invited to present at international conferences as part of his work to globally advance the field of Cultural Astronomy.

 NOTE: The May 17th Meeting has moved to room 214 Wilson Hall, due to maintenance in McDonnell Hall.  Wilson Hall is next to McDonnell Hall, further from Forsyth Blvd. Park in same locations as for McDonnell Hall.

Watch the meeting here: May 2024 - Gautham Narayan - Understanding the Dark Universe with the Vera Rubin Observatory

SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, May 17, 2024

 “Understanding the Dark Universe with the Vera Rubin Observatory” by  Gautham Narayan, PhD  ;  Univ of Illinois

Atop Cerro Pachon, at the southern reach of the Atacama Desert, scientists and engineers are building the largest machine ever conceived for astrophysics – the Vera Rubin Observatory. Next year, it will begin taking measurements as part of the “Legacy Survey of Space and Time,” surveying the entire available southern sky every four nights. With its 3.2 Gigapixel camera, Rubin Observatory will take 20 TB of data every night, and at the end of its 10-year survey, will have resolved 17 billion stars in our Milky Way, and discovered 20 billion galaxies outside of ours, and found 10 million sources that change every night – supernovae, quasars, asteroids, variable stars and things we haven’t even seen before. One of Rubin’s key missions is to understand the nature of matter and energy in our Universe in the “dark sector.” What is the nature of the dark matter, that astronomer Vera C. Rubin discovered in her examination of how galaxies rotate? What is this mysterious dark energy that is ~70% of the energy density of our Universe and seems to be pushing galaxies apart from each other at ever accelerating rate? I’ll tell you about the status of Rubin Observatory, and how the Dark Energy Science Collaboration will use Rubin data to try and answer these fundamental questions.

Gautham Narayan has been a professor in the department of Astronomy at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign since 2019. He was previously a postdoc at the National Optical and Infrared Laboratory in Tucson (which runs Rubin Observatory) and the Barry M. Lasker Fellow at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore (which runs Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope). He works on melding AI and Astrophysics, to analyze massive quantities of data from wide-field surveys, particularly to study sources in the time-domain, such as supernovae and kilonovae. He is a Simonyi-NSF CAREER Fellow, and the Analysis Coordinator for the Dark Energy Science Collaboration.

Watch the meeting here: April 2024 - Fran Bagenal - NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter

SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, April 19, 2024

 “NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter” by Fran Bagenal, PhD; University of Colorado, Boulder

Juno’s goal is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. Underneath its dense cloud cover, Jupiter safeguards secrets to the fundamental processes and conditions that governed our solar system during its formation. As our primary example of a giant planet, Jupiter can also provide critical knowledge for understanding the planetary systems being discovered around other stars. With its suite of science instruments, Juno is investigating the interior structure, mapping Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measuring the distribution of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere – and exploring the mysterious Great Red Spot. As its orbit has evolved over 8 years, the spacecraft has also made flybys of the Galilean moons Ganymede, Europa and Callisto. JUNO is also the first spacecraft to fly over Jupiter’s aurora and measuring both the energetic particles raining down on the planet and the bright “northern & southern lights” they excite. A huge bonus is the small public outreach camera that is taking fantastic images of Jupiter’s beautiful clouds. The images – some science, some art – are processed and shared by the public around the world. NASA’s JUNO mission was launched in August 2011 and has been in orbit over Jupiter’s poles since 4^th July 2016.

Dr. Fran Bagenal is a research scientist and professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder and is co-investigator and team leader of the plasma investigations on NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Juno mission to Jupiter. Her main area of expertise is the study of charged particles trapped in planetary magnetic fields and the interaction of plasmas with the atmospheres of planetary objects, particularly in the outer solar system. She edited the monograph Jupiter: Planet, Satellites and Magnetosphere (Cambridge University Press, 2004).

Born and raised in the UK, Dr. Bagenal received her bachelor degree in Physics and Geophysics from the University of Lancaster, England, and her doctorate degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from MIT (Cambridge, Mass) in 1981.  She spent five years as a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College, London, before returning to the United States for research and faculty positions in Boulder, Colorado. She has participated in several of NASA's planetary exploration missions, including Voyager 1 and 2, Galileo, Deep Space 1, New Horizons and Juno.

https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/mop/home/people/fran_bagenal/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3293128/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Announcement - The St. Louis Astronomical Society ("SLAS") is distributing FREE solar eclipse glasses (while supplies last) to attendees of SLAS events from February to April 2024. There is a limit of 5 glasses per family and 2 glasses per child. To learn more about these events, please visit the SLAS event calendar.  Click the following link to view the event calendar: https://slasonline.org/events/our-events. Contact the St. Louis Astronomical Society for more details: https://slasonline.org/contact-us

Watch the meeting here: March 2024 - Tom Rathjen - The Moon & Beyond

SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, March 15, 2024

“The Moon & Beyond”  by Tom Rathjen,  The Aerospace Corporation

Mr. Rathjen will present an overview of NASA’s “Artemis Program”, which will return humans to the moon.  What space vehicles are being developed?  What is their technical status?  What is the schedule?  How will Artemis be different than Apollo?  Presentation will include descriptions of the Orion crewed spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket, “Lunar Gateway” station, and Human Landing Systems.

Tom Rathjen is a Subject Matter Expert, Human Space Flight at The Aerospace Corporation. Recently Retired NASA Senior Executive. Thomas Rathjen is a distinguished senior executive with over 35 years of experience in human space flight. Recently retired from NASA, and currently performing consulting through The Aerospace Corporation. Served successfully in leadership and technical positions for large integrated programs, life sciences and medical organizations, engineering and flight hardware development projects, research and technology development, and special strategic study teams.

SLAS Regular Meeting

 Watch the meeting here: Feb 2024 - Angela Speck - In the Moon’s Shadow: Chasing Eclipses

Meeting is VIA Zoom ONLY.  In person meeting is cancelled due to inclement weather

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

7:30pm Friday, February 16, 2024

“In the Moon’s Shadow – Chasing Eclipses”  by Angela Speck, PhD. University Texas - San Antonio

 Dr. Angela Speck has a doctorate in Astronomy from University College London and has been a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Physics & Astronomy since her arrival at UTSA in Fall 2019. Prior to joining UTSA, she was at the University of Missouri (MU) for 17 years where she built the MU astronomy program. Her research interests include stardust, infrared astronomy, and stellar evolution, as well as science education and public outreach. In addition, Dr. Speck was a member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Council 2011-14, a member of the congressionally appointed FACA committee: Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC, 2013-2016), and has co-chaired the AAS Solar Eclipse taskforce since its inception in 2014. She became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2022. Dr. Speck’s academic career exemplifies the idea that there should be a strong synergy between the research, teaching and service components for any faculty member.

Watch the meeting here: Jan 2024 - David A Williams - ASU Explores the Solar System

SLAS Regular Meeting

BY ONLINE ZOOM CONFERENCE ONLY WE ARE NOT MEETING IN PERSON THIS MONTH

7:30pm Friday, January 19, 2024

ASU Explores the Solar System by David A Williams, PhD., Arizona State University

  NASA’s program for Solar System Exploration has been active since the 1960s, with robotic spacecraft, including flybys, orbiters, landers, rovers, and sample return, visiting many of the major planets, as well as dwarf planets and asteroids and comets.  Arizona State University (ASU, Phoenix-Tempe) has been a leader in planetary geology research for decades, along with St. Louis’ own Washington University. What current missions and destinations are in NASA’s plans?  Join Dr. David Williams, research professor in ASU’s  School of Earth and Space Exploration, for a deep dive into the various missions exploring the Solar System this decade and beyond!

Dr. David A. Williams is a Research Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. David is currently performing research in volcanology and planetary geology, with a focus on planetary mapping, remote sensing, and computer modeling studies. He was involved with NASA’s Magellan Mission to Venus, Galileo Mission to Jupiter, Dawn Mission to asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, and ESA’s Mars Express orbiter.  He is currently Deputy Imager Lead on NASA’s Psyche Mission.  David is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, and asteroid 10,461 DAWILLIAMS was named in his honor.