OCA Board Meeting
2024-11-10 10:30 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online
The Board of Directors for the OCA will be having their meeting on Nov. 10, 2024 at 10:30am via Zoom. All current members are welcome, please notify the OCA secretary and a link will be sent out on the day of the meeting. Contact any board member with questions.
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OCA Astrophysics SIG Meeting
2024-11-15 19:00 - 22:00, 2025-01-17 19:00 - 22:00, 2025-02-21 19:00 - 22:00 | Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House, Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
The monthly meeting of the Astrophysics Special Interest Group is at 7:00 PM every third Friday of the month at Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House. Please contact the ASIG chair for details at mark@ocastronomers.org .
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OCA Outreach - Portola Hills Elementary
2024-11-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Portola Hills Elementary School, 19422 Saddleback Ranch Road, Lake Forest, CA, 92679, United States
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OCA Private Outreach - Beacon Park Elementary
2024-12-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Beacon Park Elementary School, 200 Cultivate, Irvine, CA, Irvine, United States

Astroimagers Special Interest Group - online meeting.
2024-12-06 19:00 - 21:30 | Online
An online meeting of the Astroimagers Special Interest group to discuss the upcoming in person meetings and to gauge interest in resuming these meetings. If you are an OCA member and you are interested in learning more about astrophotography then please attend. Absolute beginners are welcome. A link to the zoom meeting will be provided on the OCA email lists before the meeting. Any questions please contact Alan Smallbone.
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Online Beginner's Class
2024-12-06 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
This is a free and open to the public online event, to attend please register with zoom by clicking here at or after 7:10pm.
The 4th session of the Beginners Astronomy Class covers the science behind the telescope.
How do our eyes actually perceive objects we see in the telescope and what is the physics that allows that perception.
For details, please visit here and download the sample information PDF package.
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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.
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Open Spiral Bar
2024-12-14 22:00 - 23:30, 2025-01-11 22:00 - 23:30, 2025-02-08 22:00 - 23:30 | Online
This is a free and open to the public online event.
Join Zoom

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.

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AstroImaging Special Interest Group meeting
2025-01-03 19:00 - 22:00 | Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House, Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
Meeting of the Astroimaging Special Interest Group at Orange Coast College Astronomy House. Meeting is from 7pm to 10pm. Parking fees will apply and must be purchased online.
Any questions please contact Alan Smallbone
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Beginner's Class In-person event(New Location)
2025-01-06 19:30 - 21:30 | Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House, Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
This is a free and open to the public event (In-person event only).
The 5th session of the Beginners Astronomy Class is the “How to Use Your Telescope”.
If you have a telescope and would like some help learning to set it up and use it, attend this Hands-on class.
For details, please visit here and download the sample information PDF package.
Event is held at Orange Coast College, near Building 40, Astronomy House.
Parking is $5.35 for a virtual daily parking permit and can only be paid online or by app at this time. There is no kiosk at the parking lot.
For instructions click on:
https://orangecoastcollege.edu/about/parking-and-public-safety/parking/index.html

Scroll down to: PURCHASE VIRTUAL DAILY PARKING PERMITS. You want LOT E which is ZONE 92847.

Click on the link for PassportParking.com to pay online. Go to the Menu and click on the PayOnline Button and follow the prompts. If you want to download the app, also usable at many other locations in the region and in the US, please follow the instructions provided by the App.
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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.
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Private Outreach - Cielo Vista Elementary
2025-01-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Cielo Vista Elementary, 21811 Avenida De Los Fundadores, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, 92688, United States

Private Outreach - Cypress Springs Elementary
2025-01-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Cypress Village Elementary School, 355 Rush Lily, Irvine, CA, 92620, United States
Address: 355 Rush Lily, Irvine
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OCA Outreach - Castille Elementary, Mission Viejo
2025-01-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Castille Elementary School, 24042 Vía La Coruna, Mission Viejo, CA, 92691, United States
It is with great reluctance that I must cancel the scheduled OCA Outreach at Castille Elementary School in Mission Viejo scheduled for today at 7:00 PM. However, the Weather Channel forecast for the city indicates in excess of 70 percent cloud cover for the entire period of the event, and we cannot have an outreach with that much cloudiness.
Martin Christensen
Outreach Coordinator, OCA

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OCA Outreach - Portola Springs Elementary
2025-01-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Portola Hills Elementary School, 19422 Saddleback Ranch Road, Lake Forest, CA, 92679, United States

Private Outreach: Ball Junior High School
2025-02-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Ball Junior High School, Anaheim, 1500 W. Ball Road, Anaheim, 92802, United States

Private Outreach: Maxwell Elementary, Anaheim
2025-02-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Maxwell Elementary, Anaheim, 2613 Orange Avenue, Anaheim, 92804, United States

In-person Beginner's Class(New Location)
2025-02-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House, Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
This is a free and open to the public event (in person event only)
The 6th session of the Beginners Astronomy Class covers the basics of astrophotography, covering different types of imaging, how different types of cameras are used for this kind of photography, and other equipment and considerations for taking a good picture.
This session is taught by Kyle Coker, who is active in the club’s AstroImaging special interest group.
Free and open to the public as well as members of OCA.
For details, please visit here and download the sample information PDF package.
Event is held at Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House.
Parking is $5.35 for a virtual daily parking permit and can only be paid online or by app at this time. There is no kiosk at the parking lot.
For instructions click on:
https://orangecoastcollege.edu/about/parking-and-public-safety/parking/index.html

Scroll down to: PURCHASE VIRTUAL DAILY PARKING PERMITS. You want LOT E which is ZONE 92847.

Click on the link for PassportParking.com to pay online. Go to the Menu and click on the PayOnline Button and follow the prompts. If you want to download the app, also usable at many other locations in the region and in the US, please follow the instructions provided by the App.

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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OCA Private Outreach - Cadence Park Elementary
2025-02-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Cadence Park Elementary, 750 Benchmark, Irvine, CA, 92618, United States

Private Outreach - Cerro Villa Middle School, Villa Park
2025-02-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Cerro Villa Middle School, 17852 Serrano Ave, Villa Park, CA, 92861, United States

Anza Star Party
2025-03-01 | On the Sky, CA, United States
The new moon weekend for the monthly star party. The Anza site is open to members and their guests only. Join other members for viewing and imaging. Contact any board member if you have any questions.
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Public Outreach - Cerritos Library Astronomy Night
2025-03-05 18:00 - 20:30 | Cerritos Library, 18025 Bloomfield Ave., Cerritos, 90703, United States

Private Outreach - Robinson Ranch School
2025-03-07 18:15 - 20:00 | Robinson Ranch Elementary School, 21400 Lindsey Drive, Trabuco Cnyon, 92679, United States

Astroimagers Special Interest Group
2025-03-07 19:00 - 22:00 | Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House, Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
Meeting of the Astroimaging Special Interest Group at Orange Coast College Astronomy House. Meeting is from 7pm to 10pm. Parking fees will apply and must be purchased online.
Any questions please contact Kyle Coker
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Online Beginner's Class
2025-03-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
This is a free and open to the public online Zoom event, to attend please click here at or after 7:10pm
The 1st session of the Beginners Astronomy Class gives a general overview of all of the different objects you can see in the night and day time skies, with some history and information about what they are and their significance. An overview of the current scientific understanding of the Universe’s beginning, present and future is also covered.
For details, please visit here and download the sample information PDF package.
Views: 3
