Past Meetings - 2026

SLAS Regular Meeting

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

Friday, January 16, 2026

Actual Speaker was Mark Jones, SLAS Member, "Astronomical Events for 2026 visible from St Louis" - You can download a copy of his presentation here:  https://www.slasonline.org/images/markevents/Astronomical_Events_for_2026a.pdf

Watch the meeting here:  Jan 2026 - Mark Jones - Interesting Astronomical Events for 2026

Watch the SLAS January meeting intro slideshow here

NOTE: The presentation by Dr Esmer had to be cancelled for January.  SLAS will reschedule his presentation for a later date. 

““Planets with Two Suns: What Eclipsing Binaries Can Tell Us About Their Hidden Worlds” by Ekrem Esmer, PhD. Washington University – St Louis

Binary stars, or two suns orbiting each other, offer a unique window into how planets form and survive in complex environments. In this talk, Dr. Ekrem M. Esmer will explore how astronomers study these systems and search for their planets using a powerful yet accessible technique called eclipse timing variations (ETVs). By carefully measuring tiny shifts in the timing of stellar eclipses, even with modest telescopes, astronomers can uncover hidden planets and learn about stellar interactions, evolution, and magnetic activity. Because ETV studies rely on long-term monitoring, they provide an exciting opportunity for contributions from both professional and amateur observers.

Dr. Ekrem M. Esmer is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St. Louis, where he studies planets orbiting binary star systems. He earned his PhD in Astrophysics from Ankara University in Turkey, focusing on the orbital dynamics and stability of planets in multiple-star environments. His current research combines space telescope data and advanced analysis techniques to search for and characterize circumbinary planets, aiming to understand how abundant our galaxy is with such worlds.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM Friday, January 16 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

Watch the meeting here:  Feb 2026 - Jesus Ponce de Leon - AI and the Smart Telescope

Watch SLAS February meeting slideshow here

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

Friday, February 20, 2026

"AI and the Smart Telescope: How both may change Amateur Astronomy" by Jesus Ponce de Leon, PhD, St Louis Astronomical Society

The advent of the smart telescopes is a clear signal of the upcoming technological disruption into the amateur astronomy field. The next generation of smart telescopes, if this technological disruption evolves, will not only do what they do today but soon will be able to integrate AI (real artificial Intelligence) into these smaller formats. Powerful and cheaper CPUs, NPUs and faster WiFi (network and satellite communications) will enable your smart telescope to join and use large databases of DSOs in real time and share more widely your work. Allowing you to join international amateur scientists to assist professional astronomers in real time as you image and track a DSO. Produce augmented reality visuals and high quality images. Your personal devices become your displays and controllers with an app.

Jesus Alberto Ponce de Leon is a member of the St. Louis Astronomical Society, of the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois, the Springfield Astronomical Society of Missouri. Taught technology and innovation, international business and strategic management at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL. Taught master in business in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore for more than 10 years. Retired from Academia since 2012. Business partner in SC Storage of Hong Kong, Select Strategy in Mexico city, CEO of JPdeL and Associates a consulting firm focused on manufacturing improvements, business strategy and applications of neural networks and machine learning models to complex manufacturing processes. Chemical and Industrial Engineering from Institute of technology of Monterrey, Mexico, MBA and PhD in Business Strategy from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM Friday, February 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

Watch the meeting here:  March 2026 - Marc Ollivier - How to Detect & Characterize Exoplanets

Watch SLAS March meeting intro slideshow here

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

Friday, March 20, 2026

“How to Detect & Characterize Exoplanets” by Marc Ollivier, PhD., Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale - Paris

A little over 30 years after the discovery of the first exoplanets, observation, particularly from space, has enabled the detection of numerous systems and the characterization of the different planets that compose them. During this presentation, Dr. Ollivier will focus on the potential of photometry and spectrophotometry of planetary transits. Dr. Ollivier will present the principle of the method, the different observables, and demonstrate the full potential of this technique by illustrating it with a few concrete examples. Finally, he will show how two highly complementary observatories, JWST and ARIEL, will very soon be able to provide us with information that will give us a better understanding of the mechanisms of formation and evolution of exosystems. 

Dr. Olivier is an astronomer at the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale d'Orsay (IAS - CNRS / Univ Paris-Saclay, France) where he contributes to the development of space instrumentation for the detection and characterization of exoplanets. During his PhD, he worked on developing the concept of nulling interferometry to enable direct observation of exoplanets. He contributed to the development and scientific operation of the CoRoT space mission. He is now the instrument scientist for AIRS, the infrared spectrometer on ESA's ARIEL mission dedicated to the spectroscopy of several hundred exoplanets. He was director of IAS for 10 years and, since January 1, he has been scientific delegate at the CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research) in charge of space affairs (observation of the universe and the Earth, microgravity science).

SLAS Regular Meeting

Watch the meeting here:  April 2026 - Richard Heuermann - Weird Stars

Watch SLAS April meeting intro slideshow here

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

Friday, April 17, 2026

“Weird Stars” by Richard Heuermann, Solar System Ambassador, SLAS Member

Stars come in a variety of sizes, colors, and physical properties, but most fit into a theory of stellar structure and evolution. There are some very rare exceptions to the standard star types - these are the “weird stars”.  This program begins with a look at the regular types of stars and their life cycles, and then presents several examples of weird stars – those that do not fit the standard models.

Richard Heuermann retired as the Administrative Officer of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Outreach Program Coordinator for the NASA Missouri Space Grant Consortium at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri.  He is a member of the Saint Louis Astronomical Society and a NASA Solar System Ambassador.  The Ambassadors form a nationwide network of individuals who communicate to school groups, civic groups, and the general public information about astronomy and planetary sciences in general and NASA missions in particular.  Prior to his thirty-year term at Washington University, he served as the assistant director of the McDonnell Planetarium in St. Louis.  

The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM Friday, April 17 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

Watch the meeting here:  May 2026 - Ekrem Esmer - Planets with Two Suns

Watch the SLAS May meeting intro slideshow here

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

Friday, May 15, 2026

“Planets with Two Suns: What Eclipsing Binaries Can Tell Us About Their Hidden Worlds” by Ekrem Esmer, PhD.,

Washington University – St Louis

Binary stars, or two suns orbiting each other, offer a unique window into how planets form and survive in complex environments. In this talk, Dr. Ekrem M. Esmer will explore how astronomers study these systems and search for their planets using a powerful yet accessible technique called eclipse timing variations (ETVs). By carefully measuring tiny shifts in the timing of stellar eclipses, even with modest telescopes, astronomers can uncover hidden planets and learn about stellar interactions, evolution, and magnetic activity. Because ETV studies rely on long-term monitoring, they provide an exciting opportunity for contributions from both professional and amateur observers.

Dr. Ekrem M. Esmer is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St. Louis, where he studies planets orbiting binary star systems. He earned his PhD in Astrophysics from Ankara University in Turkey, focusing on the orbital dynamics and stability of planets in multiple-star environments. His current research combines space telescope data and advanced analysis techniques to search for and characterize circumbinary planets, aiming to understand how abundant our galaxy is with such worlds.Dr. Ekrem M. Esmer is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St. Louis, where he studies planets orbiting binary star systems. He earned his PhD in Astrophysics from Ankara University in Turkey, focusing on the orbital dynamics and stability of planets in multiple-star environments. His current research combines space telescope data and advanced analysis techniques to search for and characterize circumbinary planets, aiming to understand how abundant our galaxy is with such worlds. 

The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM Friday, May 15 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

Watch the meeting here:  June 2026 - Joseph Marcus - Halley’s Spectacular 2061 Prospects

Watch the SLAS June meeting intro slideshow here

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

Friday, June 19, 2026

“Halley’s Spectacular 2061 Prospects” by Joseph Marcus, MD

He will recount his tumultuous experience with Halley’s comet while editing Comet News Service for the McDonnell Planetarium between 1975 and 1986. To forecast its brightness in 1985-86, analysts had to draw on the visual magnitude reports from the 1909-10 apparition. To understand why, he will review comet brightness behavior, how brightness is estimated visually, the artifacts that tripped analysts up. A different problem is Halley’s Jekyll-Hyde personality through history. Why was it “big or bright” as the full Moon in 1066, and visible in daylight in 1222 and just off the limb of the Sun in 1910, but comparatively so unimpressive in 1985-86? The explanation involves the bizarre way microscopic comet dust scatters sunlight preferentially in a forward direction. Failure to account for this special physics in conventional forecasts will underestimate the comet’s peak brightness by 8-fold in the summer of 2061. In his forecast, Halley’s brightness-enhanced head will rival Jupiter in brilliance, and with its similarly-enhanced dust tail added in, the comet might even briefly cast shadows.

Dr. Joseph N. Marcus is a retired pathologist, SLAS member, former editor of Comet News Service, and comet researcher and writer. He serves on the Advisory Board of Lowell Observatory.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM Friday, June 19 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

Watch the meeting here:  July 2026 - Zifan Lin - Planetary Thermal Emission and White Dwarf Exoplanet Detection in the Roman Era

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

Friday, July 17, 2026

“Planetary Thermal Emission in the Age of Roman” by Zifan Lin, PhD

Measuring the dayside thermal emission of rocky exoplanets provides essential insights into their compositions and the presence of atmospheres. Recent JWST observations have identified a puzzling pattern: some rocky exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs have dayside temperatures higher than the theoretical maximum assuming stellar irradiation as the sole energy source, implying the presence of additional internal heat sources. In a recent paper, I simulated three possible internal heating mechanisms - residual heating from formation, tidal heating, and induction heating from interactions with the stellar magnetic field - and found that these mechanisms, even in combination, cannot explain the observed thermal emission excesses. My results suggest that planetary internal processes are unlikely to generate remotely detectable heat, and that the observed excesses, if astrophysical, are more likely caused by stellar contamination, surface processes, geometric effects, or other processes not considered in this study. Further progress will require more observations. The upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, targeting a September 2026 launch, will provide additional constraints. Roman's wide-field infrared capabilities make it particularly well suited for probing thermal emissions from rocky planets orbiting hotter, bluer stars that emit less flux in the infrared. I will also discuss the prospect of detecting transiting and non-transiting exoplanets orbiting white dwarfs with Roman.

 Dr. Zifan Lin is a postdoctoral researcher in the Physics Department and the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at WashU. Zifan has broad research interests in planetary science. Primarily taking theoretical and modeling approaches, he studies topics including planetary interiors, exoplanet atmospheres, photochemistry, biosignatures, and transmission spectroscopy.

SLAS Regular Meeting

Watch the meeting here: Aug 2026 - Michael Nowak - X-ray Astronomy in Living Color

McDonnell Hall, Washington University - St. Louis

Friday, August 21, 2026

“X-ray Astronomy in Living Color” by Michael Nowak, PhD

Washington University -St Louis

Observational astronomy is mostly a story about measuring photons with precision — how many are there, what direction are they coming from, when do they arrive, and what are their energies?  The better we can make those measurements the better our understanding of the astrophysical systems that send those photons across the Cosmos to our sky.  A key tool in astrophysical studies is spectroscopy — deciphering photon energies by exploring the rainbow of colors in the light that we detect.  Most of us are familiar with rainbows created either naturally in a misty sky or intentionally with prisms and diffraction gratings.  But how do we do this when we are talking about X-rays?  It turns out, this is much more difficult, but extremely important for our understanding of the most exotic phenomena in our Universe, such as black holes and neutron stars!  In this talk I will discuss our currently most precise instruments for measuring “X-ray Rainbows”: the Chandra-High Energy Transmission Gratings and the XRISM satellite, which uses “quantum detectors” to open up a new frontier in X-ray spectroscopy. I will also discuss possible future instruments that could be used to make precise measurements of "X-ray rainbows" from distant, supermassive black holes to reveal the “missing matter” in the Universe (that you probably didn’t even realize was missing!)

 Michael Nowak is a Research Professor in the Physics Department as well as the Associate Director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Nowak’s work encompasses both observation and theory of astrophysical compact object (black hole and neutron star) systems. His early theoretical work focused on the hydrodynamics of accretion flows in these systems, and later evolved into theories describing the implications of X-ray spectra and variability for models of astrophysical jets relativistically speeding away from and hot (billions of degrees) coronae surrounding compact object systems. He performs observational studies with a variety of High Energy Astrophysics observatories, including the Chandra, Swift, NICER, and NuSTAR (NASA), and XMM-Newton (ESA) satellites.  He currently is a science collaborator, assisting with coordinated X-ray and gamma-ray observations, with the Event Horizon Telescope team who have used radio interferometry to image accretion flows around the supermassive black holes Sgr A* and M87*.