Orange County Astronomers

Open Spiral Bar
2024-03-09 22:00 - 23:30, 2024-04-13 22:00 - 23:30, 2024-05-11 22:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-15 22:00 - 23:30, 2024-07-13 22:00 - 23:30, 2024-08-10 22:00 - 23:30, 2024-09-14 22:00 - 23:30, 2024-10-12 22:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) and 4 more dates | Online
This is a free and open to the public online event.
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Come and socialize with your fellow astronomy enthusiasts face-to-face virtually!
Bring your latest astrophotography, mini-presentation, questions or none and your own refreshments.

Views: 3

General Meeting – April 2024
2024-04-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online. Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online.

How to Work Amateur Satellites

with Your Handheld Radio

You do not need 100W of transmit power nor expensive antenna arrays to work the FM voice amateur satellites! Many hams already have the necessary equipment to “work the birds.” This presentation will walk you through ALL the steps needed to successfully work several ham satellites – including the International Space Station.

Clint K6LCS has been a ham since 1994, and found his niche in the hobby: working amateur satellites with minimal equipment and telling ALL about it! He has served a liaison between NASA, the ARISS team, and schools coordinating amateur radio contacts between the International Space Station and students (and also orchestrated a wildly successful ARISS contact). Audiences have never found his presentation slides “wordy” nor dull. Trivia questions are included throughout the session – audiences are never bored.
For reference materials, Clint has created a support Web site at work-sat.com. The Web site has become a one-stop source for ALL the citations and equipment recommendations and software suggestions made in the presentation.
Professionally, Clint was sales manager for ADI / Premier Communications / Pryme, worked for a Motorola commercial two-way dealer a couple of years, and for Ham Radio Outlet a couple more. He resides in Jurupa Valley, California, with his wife, Karen, and their new addition to the family: Huck, a two-year-old 75-pound Lab.

Views: 3

General Meeting – May 2024
2024-05-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online from Washington, DC.

Data Driven Discovery

In Evolving Planetary Systems

A Mineral Informatics Approach

The key to answering many compelling and complex questions in Earth, planetary, and life science lies in breaking down the barriers between scientific fields and harnessing the integrated, multi-disciplinary power of their respective data resources. We have a unique opportunity to integrate large and rapidly expanding data resources, to enlist powerful analytical and visualization methods, and to answer multi-disciplinary questions that cannot be addressed by one field alone.
Rapidly expanding mineral data resources have created an opportunity to characterize changes in near-surface mineralogy through deep time and to relate these findings to the geologic and biologic evolution of our planet over the past 4.5 billion years. Data-driven studies employing advanced analytical and visualization techniques such as mineral ecology, network analysis, and association analysis, allow us to begin tackling big questions in Earth, planetary, and biosciences, including those related to (1) the relationships of mineral formation and preservation with large-scale geologic processes, such supercontinent assembly, the oxidation of Earth’s atmosphere, and changes in ocean chemistry. (2) The abundance and likely species of as-yet undiscovered mineral, as well as the probability of finding a mineral or mineral assemblage at any locality on Earth or another planetary body. (3) Exploring the possibility that Earth’s mineral diversity and distribution is a biosignature. (4) Characterizing the origins of all mineral species through the development of the Evolutionary System of Mineralogy – a system that will provide a framework for predicting the formational conditions of mineral species of unknown origin. (5) Lastly, integrating across disciplines and exploring ideas that one field alone cannot fully characterize (e.g., how the geochemical makeup of our planet affected the emergence and evolution of life, and, likewise, how life influenced chemical composition and geological processes throughout Earth history).

Shaunna M. Morrison is a mineralogist and planetary scientist with expertise in crystallography, crystal chemistry, and the application of data driven techniques. Morrison is the 4D (Deep Time Data Driven Discovery) Initiative Co-Director at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Earth and Planets Laboratory, former Project Manager of the Carnegie led Deep-Time Data Infrastructure (DTDI), a Co-Investigator of the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument on the NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, a collaborator on the NASA Astrobiology ENIGMA Project, a Co-Investigator of the NASA Astromaterials Data System, and a data contributor and collaborator of the RRUFF Project, including the Mineral Evolution Database (MED), and the Evolutionary System of Mineralogy Database (ESMD). Morrison builds on her technical and theoretical background in crystallography, crystal chemistry, and martian mineralogy, to explore new techniques in multidimensional, multivariate analysis and visualization by employing a range of advanced analytics and machine learning techniques to better understand the complex relationships among Earth and planetary materials, their formational environments through deep time, and their coevolution with the biosphere, including identifying and characterizing mineralogical signs of life.

Views: 3

General Meeting – June 2024
2024-06-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online from Washington, DC.

Extreme Astronomy

This program examines telescopes, space travel, planets, moons, mountains, stars, galaxies, clusters, and black holes in the quest to find the largest, highest, closest, furthest, hottest, coldest, most massive, brightest, and darkest among these various objects and also many firsts among astronomical discoveries and accomplishments.

Charles E. Allen III (“Chuck”)
Chuck is current League Vice-President and a past League President (1998-2002). A League Lifetime Member, he founded the National Young Astronomer Award in 1991, received the G. R. Wright Award for service in 1998, holds the League’s Master Outreach Award with over 550 public programs to his credit, and earned the League’s master observer gold progression with 43 observing programs completed. He co-chaired ALCon ’21 Virtual and currently coordinates three League Observing Programs. Chuck is past-president of the Louisville Astronomical Society and current Program Director of the Evansville Astronomical Society. He is a past judge for the Intel (now Regeneron) International Science and Engineering Fair and served as a United State Air Force officer before entering the practice of law. He’s been an amateur astronomer since age 7.
Views: 3

General Meeting – July 2024
2024-07-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online from Chicago.

What Cleaning the

International Space Station

Can Teach Us About a

Human Health Crisis on Earth

The spread of antimicrobial resistance depends on many factors, including previous exposure of microorganisms to antimicrobial disinfectants. Antimicrobial resistance in the environment ultimately translates into a human health risk. While antimicrobial chemical disinfection is used to prevent infection by pathogenic organisms, it can inadvertently select for antimicrobial resistance. Disinfectants are not only used in hospitals and homes on Earth, but also on the International Space Station (ISS).
To protect crew health, cleaning the ISS primarily using a disinfectant containing the quaternary ammonium compound benzalkonium chloride (BAC) has been done for decades. BAC is not only found in disinfectants, but a range of products from consumer antibacterial hand soap to dryer sheets. Due to its widespread use, BAC has been detected throughout the indoor and natural environment, where it has been linked to antimicrobial resistance. BAC use on Earth has increased dramatically in the past few years, so findings on the ISS may also be indicative of changes in our Earth-based indoor microbiomes. To investigate the relationship between BAC disinfectant use and antimicrobial resistance, Staphylococcus spp. isolates collected between 2009 and 2015 from the ISS were examined. Whole genome sequencing identified multiple BAC resistance genes in addition to resistance to other compounds.
This work highlights the importance of considering the long-term impact of antimicrobial disinfection when selecting cleaning products. Additionally, the benefits of specific products to human health must be weighed against their ability to select for resistance and the long-term risk that then emerges. Examining a range of Staphylococcus spp. isolates for resistance markers has given us a greater understanding of how tolerance varies with specific BAC genes in the indoor environment. Additionally, the ISS environment and long-term BAC disinfection seems to select for BAC tolerance. Further work is needed to understand if there are differences between the frequency of BAC resistance genes in the ISS compared to Earth-based environments.
here are links to a formal research paper about resistance on the International Space Station written by a previous lab member (for those interested in scientific journal style writing on this topic), and a more informal op-ed on use of cleaning chemicals and its relationship to antibiotic resistance.

Olivia is an environmental engineer interested in fundamental rules that govern how microbes adapt to their environment. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Maryland, College Park where her research focused on optimizing developments to minimize stormwater flooding. She then moved to England to study in the Environmental Engineering Master’s degree program at Imperial College London. Her dissertation focused on barriers to the implementation of novel microbial wastewater treatment in Serbia. After completing her Master’s, she spent a year working in industry as a consultant engineer for drinking water projects before returning to academia. Olivia recently completed her PhD in Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University in the Hartmann Lab where her research focused on how disinfectant use impacts antimicrobial resistance and strategies to combat the resistance trend.

Views: 3

General Meeting – August 2024
2024-08-09 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online from Tucson, AZ.

The Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative,

and follow up projects!

The Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast (DEB) Initiative was a citizen science project for the 2024 total solar eclipse which transited North America on 8 April 2024. Nearly 400 citizen volunteers observed the eclipse with a set of standard equipment from about 70 location both inside and outside the path of totality. During the partial eclipse phases, each site uploaded a processed solar image at a cadence of 1 per minute to our web page. For those sites located in the path of totality, the volunteers collected a set of 5 different exposures every 5 seconds and then uploaded this data to our central repository. These coronal images are currently being processed with the goal of measuring the acceleration of coronal plasma in the inner corona.
The organization and training of the DEB volunteers, their experiences on the day of the eclipse, and the current status of the data analysis will be discussed. In addition, the DEB Initiative follow-up projects which explore white light solar flares, variable stars and asteroid observations will be discussed with the aim of inspiring more people to join our volunteer community.

Matt Penn became interested in astronomy when his parents bought a 3″ Newtonian telescope for him while he was in 6th grade. While getting his undergraduate degree in astronomy at Caltech, Penn did his senior research project using solar oscillations data and began a career in solar physics research. After getting his PhD from the University of Hawaii in 1992, Penn worked with dozens of students, published more than 70 peer-reviewed research papers and developed a citizen science project for the 2017 total solar eclipse. Leaving the research field in 2018, Penn stayed with his family in Tucson AZ and is currently an electro-optical engineer. He holds two patents in the field of image processing. Penn continues to publish research papers in the field of astronomy as a hobby, and enjoys hiking and travel.

Views: 3

General Meeting – September 2024
2024-09-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that people under 18 are not allowed at Chapman campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online from China.

What is the role fungi

in space exploration?

The field of space exploration is currently witnessing great developments and increased attention. As we gear up for new missions, we need to think about the tiny “hitchhikers” we bring along—microbes that come with us, either as part of our microbiomes or as chosen resources. Just like us, these microbes are affected by space conditions. So, understanding how they grow in space is crucial for planning future safe and sustainable missions.
In space microbiology, fungi often don’t get the attention they deserve. They can be a threat to astronauts, especially under stressful conditions like altered gravity, radiation, and exposure to lunar and Martian soil, where, for example, they can develop pathogenicity. However, fungi can also be incredibly useful. They can produce important products like medical drugs, metal nanoparticles, and enzymes. In space, fungal processes can change and sometimes improve, leading to cheaper and more efficient production processes.
This presentation will explore how fungi can help us in future missions and the risks they pose, such as infections, contamination, or damage to infrastructure. Research in astromycology, which studies terrestrial fungi in space and space-like environments, will be key to supporting sustainable, long-term human presence in space.

Marta Filipa Simões (ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8767-9487) is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Science (SKLPlanets), at Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), in China. She is a microbiologist and has worked with a myriad of microorganisms (mycobacteria, environmental and clinical bacteria, mycobacteriophages and filamentous fungi) in several different countries (UK, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, and China). Her research fits within astrobiology and astromycology, focusing on: fungal ecology and biodiversity in environmental analogues to outer-space conditions, fungal development under simulated outer-space conditions, bioprospection and application of filamentous fungi, and fungal growth containment (in the context of planetary protection) and exploitation to human needs in outer-space similar conditions.
Views: 3

General Meeting – October 2024
2024-10-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present inperson from the Chapman University’s campus.

Direct Multipixel Imaging and

Spectroscopy of Exoplanets

with a Mission to the Focal Region of

the Solar Gravitational Lens

Nature has presented us with a very powerful “instrument” that we are yet to explore and put to use. This instrument is the Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL), which results from the ability of the gravitational field of the Sun to focus light from faint, distant targets. In the near future, a modest telescope with a coronagraph could operate in the focal region of the SGL and, using enormous amplification of the Lens, it could yield multipixel images of exoplanets. A meter-class telescope operating at the focal region of the SGL could yield ~(450×450)-pixel images of an “Earth 2.0” at distances up to 100 light years with spatial resolution high enough to see its surface features and to determine and study the signs of habitability. We discuss the imaging properties of the SGL and introduce a mission concept to the SGL focal region that could provide us with direct, high-resolution images and spectroscopy of a potentially habitable Earth-like exoplanet. We address aspects of mission design and spacecraft requirements, as well as capabilities needed to fly this mission in the next two decades. We rely on solar sailing propulsion which, when combined with rideshare to high Earth orbit and the use of smallsat architecture components, is the key technology that may allow us to reach high solar system transit velocities at a dramatic reduction in mission costs and lead time. With the currently available sail materials, components, and instruments we can fly practical missions with speeds of up to 7 AU/year – twice that of the current speed record holder – Voyager 1. With the sail materials that are being developed, smallsat velocities up to 20-25 AU/year will be reachable in 5-7 years. Benefiting from this progress, the “Sundiver” concept is new and exciting; it offers breakthrough capabilities for which the science community has been waiting for decades. We discuss the Sundiver sailcraft, enabling technology, instruments and unique science opportunities offered by small sailcraft placed on fast interplanetary trajectories – ultimately reaching the SGL’s focal region.
For background, please check: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQFqDKRAROI and https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.14917

Slava G. Turyshev is an astrophysicist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology and a professor at the Physics and Astronomy Department of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Turyshev earned his M.S. in physics (with honors) and a PhD in quantum field theory from the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia in 1987 and 1990, correspondingly. In 2008, he earned the Doctor of Science degree (Habilitation) in astrophysics from the same university. His primary research areas include gravitational and fundamental physics in space, research in relativistic astrophysics, astronomy, and planetary science. He is an expert in high-precision spacecraft navigation, solar system dynamics, satellite and lunar laser ranging, astrometry, and related technology efforts. Dr. Turyshev served as the NASA Project Scientist on the CNES/ESA Microscope mission (2016-2020); JPL Project Scientist for the Advanced Lunar Laser Ranging Facility at the Table Mountain Observatory, CA (2015-ongoing); Principal Investigator on the investigation of the Pioneer Anomaly (2003-2012). Recently, he was the Principal Investigator on the 2020 NIAC Phase III effort on the mission concept studies to use the solar gravitation lens (SGL) for multipixel imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets (2017-2022). He has published over 220 papers, 2 books. Dr. Turyshev is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics.
Views: 3

General Meeting – November 2024
2024-11-08 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online from San Jose, CA.

From Vision to Reality:

The Journey of Kosovo’s First Observatory

In 2024, we successfully established the first observatory and science center in Kosovo, a landmark achievement in a country with a rich but turbulent history. This project was not just about building an astronomical facility; it symbolized triumph over obstacles that ranged from logistical challenges to securing international support. Through perseverance, partnerships with organizations like Celestron, and the belief in the transformative power of science, we brought the stars closer to the people of Kosovo. This talk will highlight our journey, the hurdles we overcame, and how this observatory is now inspiring future generations of scientists and stargazers alike.

Pranvera Hyseni is a graduate student from the Republic of Kosovo, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the founder of Astronomy Outreach of Kosovo (AOK), which is recognized as the largest astronomy outreach program in Eastern Europe. Additionally, she manages the Kosovo Chapter of the Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project.
Ms. Hyseni’s interest in astronomy began at an early age of three, during the late 1990s when Kosovo was affected by the Serbian conflict. She was raised in a family of eight on a remote farm, where economic conditions were challenging. Despite these circumstances, the farm’s location provided her with access to clear night skies, igniting her early passion for astronomy.
She single-handedly brought science to her community by establishing the non-profit organization “Astronomy Outreach of Kosovo” in 2015, which has grown into a significant entity with a global network of professional and amateur astronomers supporting her outreach initiatives across Kosovo. Through these extensive outreach activities, AOK has had a substantial impact, reaching and engaging with over 25,000 individuals annually. Her extraordinary commitment has earned her recognition as one of the five most influential women in Kosovo.
Her impact extended beyond AOK through collaborations with the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology of Kosovo, as well as other governmental institutions. Highly regarded for her expertise, she is in high demand as a speaker at universities and international astronomy conferences worldwide. In 2022, she made history by establishing the first International Astronomy and Planetary Sciences Convention in Kosovo, featuring esteemed astronomers and scientists.
Currently based in San Jose, California, Pranvera Hyseni’s research focuses on understanding the formation histories of asteroids, comets, and meteorites through spectroscopy analysis. In 2017, her contributions to the field received recognition from the International Astronomical Union and the Minor Planet Center, resulting in the naming of an asteroid in her name, 45687 Pranverahyseni. The Mars Generation organization honored her with the “24Under24” award for her leadership in STEM education. She received the “Master Outreach Award” from the Astronomical League in 2019 and the “Michael Reynolds Astronomy Award” from the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers in 2020.
Pranvera Hyseni’s research achievements extend to her provisional discovery of a Main Belt asteroid, 2020 SS13, utilizing data provided by Pan-STARRS in collaboration with the International Asteroid Search Collaboration. Her research endeavors received financial support with an amount of $5,000 through the “Casey J. Moore Fund Award” from her department at UC Santa Cruz.
Beyond her academic pursuits, Ms. Hyseni is the founder of Kosovo’s first observatory and planetarium. She envisions this science center as a crucial resource accessible to the public, furthering science and technology education. The facility accommodates a Celestron C14 Edge HD telescope with a CGX-L equatorial mount generously donated by Corey Lee, the CEO of Celestron – making it the largest telescope in the entire Republic of Kosovo.
Pranvera Hyseni’s unwavering dedication to advancing science education, outreach, and astronomical research marks her as a notable figure in the scientific community, leaving an enduring impact on generations to come. As a testament to her profound impact, she proudly serves as an Official Brand Ambassador for Celestron, inspiring countless individuals with the wonders of the universe.
Views: 3

General Meeting – December 2024
2024-12-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online from Michigan.

NASA’s Best Images and Videos 2024

Some of the most amazing images and videos from the popular NASA science website Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD: apod.nasa.gov) during 2024 will be presented. The science and stories behind these images will be discussed. Topics will include recently bright aurorae and comets visible from California, Webb and Hubble images of the nearby Solar System and distant universe, our active Sun, the best of amateur astrophotography from around the world, and more.

Dr. Robert Nemiroff is a Professor at Michigan Technological University. He holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is perhaps best known as a creator and editor for one of NASA’s most popular science websites: the Astronomy Picture of the Day at https://apod.nasa.gov/ .
His recent bestseller book “Faster than Light: How Your Shadow Can Do It but You Can’t” can be found here.
Views: 3

General Meeting – January 2025
2025-01-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present online from Arizona.

Rubin’s Revolution: From Data to Discovery

Vera C. Rubin Observatory will begin operation late this year. The observatory will employ a number of innovative technologies while conducting a ten-year survey of the southern sky, providing access to a vast data set that will enable an unprecedented number of discoveries. Learn more about this amazing new observatory and the types of science it will support.

Ardis Herrold is the Senior Education Specialist for Rubin Observatory. She oversees the Rubin Observatory Education program, which includes creation of classroom investigations using authentic data, teacher support materials, and teacher professional development.
Prior to joining Rubin Observatory, Ardis taught physical, Earth, and space sciences at the high school and college level, as well as working in planetariums and observatories. Ardis is a Past President of the National Earth Science Teachers Association and twice Past President of the Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association. A lifelong amateur astronomer, she has a personal observatory near Tucson, AZ, where she enjoys imaging deep sky objects, comets and supernovae.
Views: 3

General Meeting – February 2025
2025-02-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
This is a free and open to the public hybrid event, held both inperson and online.
Due to the newly effective insurance requirements, we regret that we can not allow people under 18 on the Chapman Campus, they are welcome to attend online.
Join Zoom

This meeting’s speaker will present inperson.

44 years as a “career Martian” at JPL

Tim Parker began working at JPL as a consultant and a contractor in January 1981. He carried his experience mapping geomorphology in Utah and Nevada for the Air Force’s MX Missile siting program, to his search for evidence of what might have happened to the flood waters from Mars’ catastrophic flood channels, using Viking Orbiter data. By the mid-1980s, Parker had developed a hypothesis suggesting that Mars had an ancient ocean that left behind familiar lakeshore landforms, comparable to those of Pleistocene lakes Bonneville and Lahontan. In 1987, Parker became a JPL employee. He has worked on numerous planetary missions, including CRAF (Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby), MRSR (Mars Rover Sample Return study), Magellan Venus orbiter, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity), Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity), Initial Heliscout (later became Inegnuity), Mars Science Helicopter study, and Mars 2020 (Perseverance). Beginning with the Mars Global Surveyor mission in 1997, a flood of new, high-resolution imagery and topography data has become available for Mars, enabling Parker to further refine and update the ocean hypothesis. Parker is continuing that work in retirement.

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General Meeting – March 2025
2025-03-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
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This meeting’s speaker will present inperson.

Mars Helicopter Telecom

The highly successful Ingenuity – Mars Helicopter – technology demonstration came to an end in January 2024 after 72 flights over 1000 sols (1.5 Mars years) exploring Mars. The author led the telecommunications team for Ingenuity from conception through flight operations and describes it here.

Courtney Duncan retired from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory – California Institute of Technology in July 2021 shortly following the initial demonstration flights of the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity.
His 35-year career included support for space shuttle missions and experiments, GPS radio occultation technology from space, stellar interferometry, deep space navigation software, lunar gravity mapping, Deep Space Network transponders for deep space CubeSats, and finally, Ingenuity telecom.
Courtney has been a licensed radio amateur with since 1972, callsign N5BF, and has been involved in many aspects of the hobby from that time. He is a past president of the San Bernardino Microwave Society, a past official of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, AMSAT-North America, and of the JPL Amateur Radio Club, and frequently gives talks on both the Mars Helicopter and on the profound value to society of avocations such as amateur radio.*
Courtney was married to Viann WD5EHM (SK) for 45 years and has three children, Viannah KG6GXW, Katherine KG6HUI, John KG6HCO, and two grandchildren. He is also a classically trained pianist and is routinely involved in a variety of musical performances.

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General Meeting – April 2025
2025-04-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
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This meeting’s speaker will present inperson.

NASA’s Cold Atom Lab:

Quantum Science

and Technology Maturation

on the International Space Station

NASA’s Cold Atom Lab (CAL) launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in May 2018,
and has been operating since that time as the world’s first and only multi-user facility for the study of ultra-cold quantum gases in space. The unique microgravity environment of the ISS is utilized with CAL by a national group of principal investigators to achieve sub-nanokelvin temperature gases, to study and utilize their quantum properties in an environment free from the perturbing force of gravity, and to observe and interact with these gases in the essentially limitless freefall of Earth’s orbit. In addition to the toolbox of capabilities originally built into CAL, an upgrade in 2020 enabled the study of atom interferometry in orbit, and a 2021 upgrade and repair facilitated investigations of the interactions between mixtures of 87Rb, 39K, and 41K and a demonstration of dual-species (87Rb – 41K or 87Rb – 39K) atom interferometry. This talk will review the up-to-date quantum gas research explored with CAL and the technical accomplishments to operate, maintain, and upgrade CAL during its tenure in the microgravity environment of the ISS. The research of CAL has broad applications in fundamental physics and precision sensing to open the door for future quantum-enabled mission opportunities.

This research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

2019 Tech Highlights ReportRequesters: Micaela Velasco, Elina SolisPhotographer: R. LannomDate: 13-MAY-2019Photolab order: 070915/171297
Dr. Jason Williams specializes in developing light pulse atom interferometers and optical atomic clocks, and their applications to both fundamental and applied physics in space. He currently serves as Project Scientist and a Principal Investigator for NASA’s Cold Atom Lab, a multi-user facility operating on the ISS dedicated to the study of quantum gases in space. Dr. Williams received his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University, studying ultracold Fermi gases, and held a NIST NRC Postdoctoral RA in Professor Jun Ye’s lab at JILA and the University of Colorado developing high-precision optical lattice clocks.

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General Meeting – May 2025
2025-05-09 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
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This meeting’s speaker will present live from Albany, NY.

Fast Radio Bursts-Signals

from Across the Universe

This artist’s impression (not to scale) illustrates the path of the fast radio burst FRB 20220610A, from the distant galaxy where it originated all the way to Earth, in one of the Milky Way’s spiral arms. The source galaxy of FRB 20220610A, pinned down thanks to ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), appears to be located within a small group of interacting galaxies. It’s so far away its light took eight billion years to reach us, making FRB 20220610A the most distant fast radio burst found to date.
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright flashes of radio waves that last only a few milliseconds and are visible across the universe. Although approximately 10,000 of these occur every day, they were only discovered by accident in 2007. Their origins remain largely unknown, making FRBs one of the hottest topics in radio astronomy. In this talk, Dr. McKee will describe the discovery of FRBs, what we know about them, and what the next few years of radio astronomy holds for this exciting new field of astronomy.
Union College headshotsWednesday, September 4, 2024James McKee, Union College, Physics & Astronomy
Dr. McKee studied physics at the University of Hull, and obtained a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Manchester while working at Jodrell Bank Observatory. Dr. McKee has held research positions at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, where he was also the on-site pulsar astronomer at the Effelsberg radio telescope, and at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Toronto where he worked on the CHIME telescope. He is currently an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Union College in NY, where he leads research into pulsars and fast radio bursts.
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General Meeting – June 2025
2025-06-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
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This meeting’s speaker will present online from Los Angeles.

A Trip to the Center of Our Galaxy

The heart of the Milky Way is home to Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole approximately four million times the mass of the Sun. Although it remains largely quiet today, it is surrounded by a turbulent sea of gas, dust, and exotic objects that could one day trigger dramatic outbursts. This presentation delves into this extreme environment, exploring the large-scale gas clouds and the closer-in structures that fuel the black hole. It examines how molecular hydrogen manages to survive intense ultraviolet radiation and introduces a newly identified class of enigmatic objects orbiting perilously close to Sagittarius A*. Observed over two decades with the Keck Observatory, these objects may represent the remnants of stellar collisions or merged binaries, offering valuable insights into how matter behaves under immense gravitational forces. Mapping this region helps to illuminate the intricate interplay of stars, gas, and gravity at the core of the galaxy.

Anna Ciurlo’s research focuses on stars and gas around the supermassive black hole in the center of our Galaxy. Her work leverages high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy from large ground and space-based observatories like Keck and the JWST. She earned her PhD in astrophysics from the Sorbonne Paris Cité and pursued postdoctoral research at UCLA. She was an inaugural year Keck Visiting Scholar at Keck Observatory. Anna continues at UCLA as an assistant researcher and adjunct assistant professor in the Galactic Center Group.
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General Meeting – July 2025
2025-07-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
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This meeting’s speaker will present inperson.

Backyard Exoplanet Observatory …

measuring exoplanets with

a small backyard telescope

Amateur astronomers can measure exoplanet parameters from their suburban backyard using a small telescope, astronomy camera, and a laptop

Mr Hallman is a retired physicist with over 30 years experience in the aerospace industry doing design, development, and testing of imaging systems and sensors operating in the Visible, Infrared, and Radar spectral regions. He has been a member of the OCA for 1 year, and is currently building a backyard Radio Telescope.
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General Meeting – August 2025
2025-08-08 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
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This meeting’s speaker will present online from Topeka, KS.
Exploding Stars and Life on Earth

Scientists have long speculated that the history of life on Earth may have been influenced by cosmic explosions such as supernovae. In recent decades the combination of astrophysical data and computational models have allowed detailed study of the potential effects of nearby stellar explosions on Earth’s atmosphere and biosphere. Impacts range from destruction of stratospheric ozone, exposing life to extreme levels of solar UV, to direct damage to organisms by high-energy neutrons and muons. This talk will summarize what is known today and discuss connections to mass extinctions and the evolution of life over the last few hundred million years.

Dr. Brian Thomas is a Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department at Washburn University, in Topeka, Kansas. Since 2003 he has worked on various problems related to understanding how the history of life on Earth may have been affected by high-energy astrophysical events such as gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. He and collaborators from multiple disciplines have together produced some of the most detailed and state-of-the-art studies of the effects on Earth by nearby stellar explosions.
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General Meeting – September 2025
2025-09-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Irvine Lecture Hall of the Chapman University, 336 N Center St, Orange, CA, 92866, United States
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This meeting’s speaker will present inperson from the Chapman campus.
Pathway to a

Post-Global Warming Future

— A Brief Overview of Climate Science,

Consequences, and Solutions

(and their astronomical connections!)

Global warming may not seem obviously connected to astronomy — but it is. In fact, the basic science of global warming is best understood through comparative study of planets. In this presentation, astrophysicist/educator Jeffrey Bennett will give you a brief overview of the surprisingly simple basic science behind global warming (including its astronomical connections) and of the consequences we can expect from this warming. Most important, he’ll focus on solutions and how we can in principle take the steps necessary to create a “post-global warming” future, meaning a future in which today’s children will someday be able to talk about global warming as a once-serious problem that we found a way to solve. Note: This talk is based on Dr. Bennett’s book A Global Warming Primer — Pathway to a Post-Global Warming Future.

Astrophysicist/educator Jeffrey Bennett has devoted his career to science education and outreach. He is probably best known to the astronomy community as the lead author of the widely used textbooks The Cosmic Perspective and Life in the Universe. He is also the author of textbooks in math and statistics; of several critically acclaimed books for educators and the public; and of 7 award-winning science books for children. He served two years as a visiting senior scientist at NASA headquarters, proposed and co-led development of the Voyage Scale Model Solar System on the National Mall (Washington, D.C.), created the free Totality app for learning about solar eclipses, and created a free online textbook for middle school Earth and Space Science. Among other honors, his children’s books were the first ever selected for Story Time From Space, in which books are launched to the International Space Station and read aloud by astronauts, and he has won both the American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award (2014) and the Klopsteg Memorial Award (2023) for education from the American Association of Physics Teachers. In addition to his ongoing speaking series on global warming, his current projects include working to spread Voyage model solar systems across the country, a planetarium show based on his book Max Goes to Mars, and a new book on The Scale of the Universe to be published in January.
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