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1365 Ivanhoe Road , Ely1365 Ivanhoe Road, Ely
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Family Night at the Eastern Iowa Observatory
<p>Cedar Amateur Astronomers present "Sun Dog Saturday" a family event at the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center. Admission is free, and sign up for the free drawing to win a telescope or binoculars!</p><p>Join us for an evening of snacks, drinks, and astronomy. Starting at 6 PM the whole family will enjoy our fun, astronomy-based activities. Tour our many displays and hands-on exhibits and chat with our astronomy members. Then at 8 PM, local NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Mark Brown will give a presentation for all ages entitled: "Comets - vagabonds of the solar system."</p><p>Comets are exotic icy travelers from the far reaches of our Solar System. Mark will discuss what comets are made of and why they behave the way they do. Come and see the makings of a comet brought to life in this presentation. This is an exciting and engaging program where participants can see, touch, and hold a “living” model of a homemade comet nucleus. </p><p>Mark Brown is a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador volunteer who actively conducts educational outreach across eastern and northern Iowa. He holds a bachelor's degree in geology from Wright State University and a master's degree in astronomy from Swinburne University of Technology. He is an experienced astronomer and astrophotographer who enjoys imaging the night sky through his telescopes and cameras and is passionate about conducting educational public outreach, bringing astronomy concepts to the human level of understanding. For Mark, the darkness and beauty of the night sky bring light to his day. </p><p>Weather permitting, we will end the night with some magnificent views of our Iowa night skies through several of our large telescopes!</p> 2023-01-11 21:00:00 -06004/22/236:00 p.m.Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning CenterEly -
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Cedar Amateur Astronomers Virtual Public Night
<p>Join Cedar Amateur Astronomers as we host accomplished amateur astronomer Mr. David Falkner for a virtual presentation at 7:30 PM on February 11, 2023. The title of Dave's presentation is "My Amazing and Unexpected Journey to Visit the Research Telescopes in Chile."</p><p>Dave was one of 10 people selected nationally to participate in ACEAP (Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program). His talk is about his 11-day experience in December visiting and staying at three major US-owned observatories in Chile: Cerro Pachón (home of the Gemini South telescope), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope. While at these facilities, Dave and the other ACEAP Ambassadors received extensive training about the instruments, the science, data products, and communicating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts. The program also introduced the ambassadors to the people and culture of Chile. Dave is excited to talk about this amazing experience.</p><p>After a successful 20-year career Dave retired from the US Navy and settled in Minnesota where he became an active member of the Minnesota Astronomical Society. He has served as its President and enjoys performing astronomical outreach often speaking to groups at libraries, nature centers and schools. He is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador and has authored the book “The Mythology of the Night Sky – Greek, Roman and Other Celestial Lore, Second Edition.”</p><p>Go to cedar-astronomers.org/events for more information. </p> 2023-01-12 20:30:00 -06002/11/237:30 p.m.Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning CenterEly -
Cedar Amateur Astronomers Public Night
<p>Join us for our first in-person event of 2023! University of Iowa Professor Emeritus Steven Spangler will present "Venus: The Earth's Twin." This free event will begin at 7:30 PM. </p><p>There are eight major planets that orbit the Sun, but none of them are very similar to the Earth. In many ways, Venus is the closest match. Its orbit is closest to the Earth, and it is nearly the same in regards to size and mass. It also possesses a thick atmosphere. However, at this point the similarities end. The temperature on the surface of Venus is 860 Fahrenheit, a temperature that is too hot for robot spacecraft, let along life. I will describe the overall characteristics of Venus as well as the probable reasons why it is so different. I will also talk about recent, intriguing suggestions that Venus might have been much more similar to the Earth hundreds of millions of years ago. We should learn much more after the arrival of three new spacecraft missions planned for the next decade. If the skies are clear, we will have the chance to see Venus in the evening sky before the talk and our members will be manning the scopes after the presentation as well. </p><p>This event is free and in=person as well as on Zoom. For more information on this event, or how to become a member, go to our website https://cedar-astronomers.org</p><p><br></p>3/11/237:30 p.m.Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning CenterEly