Cedar Amateur Astronomers Free Public Night

Cedar Amateur Astronomers welcome University of Iowa Professor Steven Spangler as we kick off the new season of in-person free public nights at the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center on March 30, 2024. The presentation begins at 7:30 PM and lasts about an hour. After, guests are free to visit the displays and exhibits and weather permitting we will have several of our large telescopes operating for guests to see the wonderful objects in our night sky. 

Professor Spangler will discuss "Where do Stars Come From?"

The night sky is filled with stars, and as we learn astronomy, we find out what incredible objects they are.  They dwarf planets like the Earth, and have power outputs that are hard to describe in normal terms.  But, where do they come from?  How do they form and where?  Professor Spangler will discuss how astronomers have come to the current understanding of star formation, which was really incomplete until about 50 - 60 years ago.  At the present time, there are aspects of star formation that we understand very well, and other aspects that are very far from being understood.  After the talk, if it is clear, we will get to see the object that illustrates star formation in action, the Orion Nebula.  

For more information visit www.cedar-astronomers.org/events