Orange County Astronomers

Private Outreach - Canceled
2020-05-15 20:30 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Gates Elementary School
Event: Gates Elementary School
Date: Friday, 5/15/2020
Viewing at 8:45 PM, Sunset at 7:45 PM
Place: Gates Elementary School
Address: 23882 Landisview; Lake Forest
Location: 33°36’57″N, 117°41’47″W
Directions: Take the 55 Fwy south to the I-5 south. Go south on the I-5 20 miles to the El Toro Rd exit. Turn left on Avenida de la Carlota – go 0.1 mi. Turn left on El Toro Rd – go 0.3 mi. Turn right on Rockfield Blvd – go 0.2 mi. Turn left on Silverbay Dr – go < 0.1 mi. Silverbay Dr becomes Belgreen Pl – go 0.2 mi. Turn left on Landisview Ave and go past the school. Turn right on Arrowhead St and the hop the curve at the gate.
Views: 5

General Meeting - May 2020 - Online
2020-05-08 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
This was an online event!
Please help us by submitting the feedback form. The link is on the box above.

Deploying Astronomy-Inspired Techniques to Help Reduce the Damage from Wildfires

Over the last decades, we have developed image acquisition, processing, and analysis systems for finding distant supernovae. Such efforts resulted in the Berkeley Automated Supernova Search, which was the first totally automated system for detecting nearby supernova. This search morphed into the Supernova Cosmology Project, which extended our search reach to billions of light years, and and helped lead to the discovery that the Universe’s expansion seemed to be speeding up a bit. One night while Pennypacker was discovering high redshift supernova at the Isaac Newton Telescope in the Canary Islands, a significant fire in Oakland caused ~1.5 billion dollars of damage and the loss of 25 lives.
Faced with the increasing danger of wildfires in California, the speaker (CP) helped build a team (beyond UC Berkeley) and the collaborations that could use some of our ideas and skills to help decrease wildfire dangers, through early detection. Our present evolving system includes searching cameras from the HPWREN system of cameras of UCSD, and also cameras from the ALERT wildfire set of cameras. This system has proven capability to scan millions of images, find small fires, with a low false positive rate.

In addition, we are proposing to build a geo-synchronous satellite that could detect a very small fire from geo orbit, and alert fire manager to this fire early in it evolution.
Such systems hold the promise to make California a bit more resilient to the dangers of wildfires.
Download the published paper -> Final_smoke_remotesensing-12-00166-v2

Carlton R. Pennypacker is an astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and is the principal investigator for the Hands On Universe project.
Dr. Pennypacker has been motivated by the power and potential of student and scientist partnerships when teachers and students started discovering supernovae in the Hands On Universe project. Some of his discoveries have been featured in the news media.
He was awarded the Prix Jules Janssen of the French Astronomical Society in 2010.
Dr. Pennypacker has spent much of his career as a research astrophysicist, receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1978. His principal research was the studying of supernovae and the building of techniques for their automated discovery. With Rich Muller, he co-founded the Berkeley Supernova Search, which later became the Supernova Cosmology Project. He shared the 2007 Gruber Prize in Cosmology and the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the Supernova Cosmology Project’s discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - Canceled
2020-05-02 20:30 - 22:00 | O’Neill Regional Park, 30892 Trabuco Canyon Rd, Trabuco Canyon, CA, 92679, United States
Event: O’Neill Park Girl Scout Campover
Date: Saturday, 5/2/2020
Time: Viewing at 8:30 PM, Sunset at 8:30 PM
Place: Held at O’neill Regional Park
Address: 30892 Trabuco Canyon Rd.; Trabuco Canyon, 92679
Location: 33°39’05″N, 117°36’03″W
Views: 5

Beginner's Class - Online
2020-05-01 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
This is an online event!
Find the link to join, on the box above.
Install Zoom beforehand to be ready.
The 3rd session of the Beginners Astronomy Class covers different methods of finding objects in the night sky. Special topic is learning the constellations.
Free and open to the public as well as members of OCA.
Note: All who attend will be invited to visit our monthly Orange County star party.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - Cypress District Pink Moon Canceled
2020-04-30 20:30 | King Elementary School, 8710 Moody Street, Cypress, CA, 90630, United States
Views: 5

Private: Anza Star Party
2020-04-25
Star parties are cancelled until further notice due to the Corona-19 virus stay at home order. All club activities are cancelled until further notice.
Views: 5

Kuhn Telescope reservation - private
2020-04-24 00:30 - 2020-04-25 12:00
The Kuhn is reserved for private use by Trey Mcgriff.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-04-22 20:30 - 22:00 | Lakeview Elementary School, 3371 Brittany Way, El Dorado Hills, CA, 95762, United States
Event: Lake View Elementary
Date: Wednesday, 4/22/2020
Time: Viewing at 8:30 PM, Sunset at 7:29 PM
Place: Lake View Elementary
Address: 17451 Zeider Lane; Huntington Beach, 92647
Location: 33°42’33″N, 117°58’56″W
Directions: Take the CA-55 South toward Newport Beach. Take I-405 North – go 6.1 mi. Take the Warner Ave West exit – go 1.2 mi. Turn left on Newland St – go 0.5 mi. Turn right on Slater Ave – go 0.1 mi. Turn right on Zeider Ln – go < 0.1 mi. School is on the left.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-04-21 20:30 - 22:00 | Biola University, 13800 Biola Avenue, La Mirada, CA, 90639, United States
Event: Biola University
Date: Tuesday, 4/21/2020
Time: Viewing at 8:30 PM, Sunset at 7:28 PM
Place: Biola University
Address: 13800 Biola Avenue; La Mirada, 90639
Location: 33°54’18″N, 118°00’48″W
Directions: Take CA-91 West or I-5 North to Beach Blvd. Exit onto Auto Center Drive. Continue to Beach Blvd. Go north on Beach Blvd about 1.0 mi. Turn left onto La Mirada Blvd. Drive 1 mi past Rosecrans Ave. Turn left at the east campus entrance. Drive to parking structure K. Enter and drive to the top level to set up.
Views: 5

Private: Anza Star Party
2020-04-18, 2020-03-21
Private star party at the Anza Site. Open to members and their guests only.
Views: 5

Public Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-04-17 20:30 - 22:30 | OC Parks Upper Newport Bay, 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA, 92660, United States
Event: OC Parks Upper Newport Bay
Date: Friday, 4/17/2020
Viewing at 8:30 PM, Sunset at 7:24 PM
Place: OC Parks Upper Newport Bay
Address: 2301 University Drive; Newport Beach
Location: 33°39’16″N, 117°53’11″W
Directions: Take CA-55 South towards Costa Mesa. Use the Right 2 lanes to take Exit 5A towards SR-73 South to San Diego, 0.9 mi. Merge onto SR-73 S and take Right lane to take Exit 16 towards Irvine Ave/ Campus Dr., 0.2 mi. Use Right lane to merge onto SE Bristol St., 0.1 mi. Use Right 2 lanes, turn Right onto Irvine Ave., 0.9 mi. Turn Left onto University Dr. Park will be on your immediate right, take 2nd driveway to turn into employee parking lot. (Do not use public parking lot)
Views: 5

Private Outreach - Canceled
2020-04-14 20:30 - 22:00 | Laguna Woods Astronomy Club, 24351 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA, 92637, United States
Event: Laguna Woods Astronomy Club
Date: Tuesday, 4/14/2020
Viewing at 8:30 PM, Sunset at 7:22 PM
Place: Held at Clubhouse 5
Address: 24262 Punta Alta; Laguna Woods
Location: 33°36’30″N, 117°44’54″W
Directions: Take CA-55 to I-5 South. Merge onto I-5 South; go 11.9 mi to the El Toro Rd exit. Merge onto Paseo de Valencia; go 0.2 mi. Turn right onto El Toro Rd and go 2.1 mi to Calle Corta. Turn right on Calle Corta into Gate 9. Turn right at Avenida Sosiega; go 0.2 mi. Turn left at Monte Hermoso; go 0.3 mi. Turn right at Punta Alta, Clubhouse 5 is on the right.
Views: 5

General Meeting - April 2020 - Online!
2020-04-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
This is an online event, please find the link to join on the top banner of this page!
Will We Go to the Moon … and Do the Other Things?

Fifty years ago America landed men on the Moon. We’ve been trying to do it again for the last thirty years. Will the Artemis program get us there? Our future depends on our ability to set ambitious goals and martial resources toward those goals. What do our past successes teach us about how to achieve great things again? The Apollo program, NASA’s grand reconnaissance of the solar system, even the development of the internet all hold lessons for us today.

Dr. Laura Danly is the Curator of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. At Griffith Observatory, her responsibilities include the development and implementation of all educational, planetarium, gallery, telescope, and theatre programs. She supervises a staff of about 150 including all of the interpretive staff, and the art, production, and technical staffs who provide the astronomical, audio-visual, and multi-media programming throughout the Observatory. In particular, Dr. Danly has produced, directed, and co-written four of Griffith Observatory’s most recent programs in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. Most recently, Dr. Danly oversaw the renovation of all the technical systems in the planetarium theatre.
Dr. Danly spent the first ten years of her career at NASA’s Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) where she was a post-doctoral and Hubble Fellow conducting research with the Hubble Telescope (1987-1997). While at NASA she began her dual careers in astronomical research and public astronomy as STScI’s first Project Scientist for Education. After her departure from NASA in 1997, she held academic appointments for eight years as a professor at Pomona College and the University of Denver where she taught physics and astronomy. During that time Dr. Danly also designed and implemented multi-disciplinary, cross-departmental curricula in the then-new field of Astrobiology.
While in Denver, Dr. Danly also held an appointment as the first Curator of Space Science at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and the first Chair of their new Space Sciences Department. From Denver, Dr. Danly moved to New York City where she was the Senior Manager of Astrophysics Education at the American Museum of Natural History (2004-2006).

Dr. Danly’s experiences in public education span a wide range of activities and methods, including planetarium show production, astronomical data visualization, exhibit design and construction, and special event and broadcast production. She is an accomplished lecturer and teacher, and has developed curricula for ages from elementary school to graduate school. She led several groups of university students that flew experiments on NASA’s KC-135 “vomit comet” aircraft. At NASA, she founded STScI’s Women’s Science Forum, a program for high school girls interested in science, which is still active today.
Dr. Danly has delivered scores of public lectures, and serves as a frequent resource to television and radio media for describing concepts in astronomy to the public. In recent years she has been a frequent guest on broadcast science programs and a regular host on the History Channel’s program, The Universe.
Dr. Danly holds a Ph.D. in Astronomy (University of Wisconsin – Madison) and a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Yale University. She is a spectroscopist specializing in ultraviolet observations from space satellites. Her research focuses on the large-scale distribution and dynamics of the interstellar medium and its relationship to galaxy evolution. Dr. Danly is a member of the International Astronomical Union, the American Astronomical Society, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific where she served for six years as a member of its Board of Directors. She has served on advisory boards to the White House and NASA.

Views: 5

Private Outreach - Cypress District Rescheduled
2020-04-07 19:30 - 21:30
Details TBD
Views: 5

Beginner's Class (Cancelled due to Corona virus) (send email to p.davidw@yahoo.com for virtual class info)
2020-04-03 19:30 - 21:30 | Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House, Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
The 2nd session of the Beginners Astronomy Class covers the different types of equipment used to observe the night sky, including telescopes, mounts, eyepieces, filters, and advantages and disadvantages of different options.
This session is a must if thinking about buying a telescope.
The Beginners Astronomy Class is held at the Heritage Museum of Orange County in Santa Ana. For details, please visit /special-interest-groups/beginners-class/ and download the sample information PDF package.
Free and open to the public as well as members of OCA.
Note: All who attend will be invited to visit our monthly Orange County star party.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-04-02 20:15 - 21:30 | Olivewood Elementary School, 23391 Dune Mear Road, Lake Forest, 92630, United States
Event: Olivewood Elementary School
Date: Thursday, 4/2/2020
Time: Viewing at 8:15 PM, Sunset at 7:13 PM
Place: Olivewood Elementary School
Address: 23391 Dune Mear Road; Lake Forest, 92630
Location: 33°37’25″N, 117°42’19″W
Directions: From downtown Orange. Turn right onto E Chapman Ave. Take the ramp onto CA-55 S; State Rte 55 S; go 2.7 mi. Take exit 11A for Interstate 5 S toward San Diego; go 1.1 mi. Merge onto I-5 S; go 5.9 mi. Keep right to stay on I-5 S; go 2.0 mi. Take exit 92 for Lake Forest Dr; go 1.9 mi. Turn left onto Lake Forest Dr; go 0.4 mi. Turn right onto Rockfield Blvd; go 0.9 mi. Turn left onto Cavanaugh Rd; go 0.2 mi. Turn left onto McCoy Rd. Turn right onto Dune Mear Rd. Turn left. School is on the right.
Views: 5

Astroimagers (AISIG) Meeting - Cancelled!
2020-04-01 18:30 - 21:00 | The Urban Workshop, 365 Clinton St A, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
Meeting is cancelled due to concerns over the COVID-19 virus and to reduce further spreading.
Tonight is the meeting of the AstroImagers Special Interest Group (AISIG). The meeting will start at 6:30pm and ends at 9pm at the Urban Workshop. This meeting is open to all members of the OCA. We have members of all skill levels and this is the place to ask questions, learn and meet other members interested in imaging the sky. All skill levels are welcome, experience is not necessary. Please arrive promptly as the meetings do start at 6:30pm, the venue closes at 9pm so we must leave by then.

Views: 5

Astroimagers (AISIG) Meeting
2020-04-01 18:30 - 21:00, 2020-03-04 18:30 - 21:00 | The Urban Workshop, 365 Clinton St A, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
Tonight is the meeting of the AstroImagers Special Interest Group (AISIG). The meeting will start at 6:30pm and ends at 9pm at the Urban Workshop. This meeting is open to all members of the OCA. We have members of all skill levels and this is the place to ask questions, learn and meet other members interested in imaging the sky. All skill levels are welcome, experience is not necessary. Please arrive promptly as the meetings do start at 6:30pm, the venue closes at 9pm so we must leave by then.

Views: 5

Private Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-03-31 20:15
Event: Journey School
Date: Tuesday, 3/31/2020
Time: Viewing at 8:15 PM, Sunset at 7:11 PM
Place: Journey School
Address: 27102 Foxborough; Aliso Viejo, 92656
Location: 33°34’12″N, 117°43’06″W
Directions: Head north toward E Chapman Ave. Turn right onto E Chapman Ave. Take the ramp onto CA-55 S; State Rte 55 S; go 2.7 mi. Take exit 11A for Interstate 5 S toward San Diego; go 1.1 mi. Merge onto I-5 S; go 5.9 mi. Keep right to stay on I-5 S; go 6.2 mi. Take exit 90 for Alicia Pkwy; go 0.3 mi. Turn right onto Alicia Pkwy; go 2.6 mi. Turn right onto Pacific Park Dr; go 0.4 mi. Turn left onto Deerhurst; go 0.3 mi. Turn left onto Foxborough; go 0.2 mi. School is on the right.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-03-27 20:15 - 21:30 | Laguna Niguel Elementary, 27922 Niguel Heights Blvd, Laguna Niguel, CA, 92677, United States
Event: Laguna Niguel Elementary
Date: Friday, 3/27/2020
Time: Viewing at 8:15 PM, Sunset at 7:08 PM
Place: Laguna Niguel Elementary
Address: 27922 Niguel Heights Rd; Laguna Niguel, 92677
Location: 33°33’24″N, 117°42’16″W
Directions: Take I-5 South towards San Diego. Take Exit 88 for Oso Pkwy, using the Right two lanes to turn Right onto Oso, 1.8 mi. Turn Left onto Moulton Pkwy, 0.8 mi. Turn Right onto Avila Rd and then immediately turn Left onto Niguel Heights Blvd. School will be on your left.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-03-20 20:00 - 21:30 | LePort School HB, 16081 Waikiki Ln, Huntington Beach, CA, 92649, United States
Event: LePort School HB

Date: Friday, 3/20/2020

Time: Viewing at 8:00 PM, Sunset at 7:04 PM

Place: LePort School HB

Address: 16081 Waikiki Lane; Huntington Beach

Location: 33°43’40″N, 118°02’38″W

Directions: Take CA-55 to CA-22 west; go 12.1 mi. Take exit 5 for Valley View St toward Bolsa Chica Rd/I-405 S; go 0.4 mi. Turn left onto Valley View St; go 0.2 mi. Continue onto Bolsa Chica Rd; go 3.1 mi. Turn right onto Edinger Ave; go 0.1 mi. Continue a few 100 ft past Waikiki Lane to the gate on the left. Enter the gate and drive across the field to the blacktop area.

Views: 5

Private Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-03-19 20:00 - 21:30 | St. Francis of Assisi School, 5330 Eastside Circle, Yorba Linda, CA, 92887, United States
Event: St. Francis of Assisi School

Date: Thursday, 3/19/2020

Time: Viewing at 8:00 PM, Sunset at 7:02 PM

Place: St. Francis of Assisi School

Address: 5330 Eastside Circle; Yorba Linda

Location: 33°52’55″N, 117°44’48″W

Directions: Take CA-55 North towards Riverside. Merge onto CA-91 E towards Riverside, 4.8 mi. Use Right 2 lanes to take Exit 39 for Weir Canyon Rd towards Yorba Linda Blvd., 0.3 mi. Use the Left 2 lanes to turn Left onto S Weir Canyon Rd, 0.6 mi. Continue onto Yorba Linda Blvd. Turn Right onto New River Rd, 0.3 mi. Turn Left onto Esperanza Rd, 0.1 mi. Turn Left onto Eastside Cir, 0.3 mi. School will be on your right.

Views: 5

Private Outreach - To Be Rescheduled
2020-03-17 20:00 - 21:30 | Laguna Woods Astronomy Club, 24351 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA, 92637, United States
Event: Laguna Woods Astronomy Club
Date: Tuesday, 3/17/2020
Time: Viewing at 8:00 PM, Sunset at 7:01 PM
Place: Held at Clubhouse 5
Address: 24262 Punta Alta; Laguna Woods, 92637
Location: 33°36’30″N, 117°44’54″W
Directions: Take CA-55 to I-5 South. Merge onto I-5 South; go 11.9 mi to the El Toro Rd exit. Merge onto Paseo de Valencia; go 0.2 mi. Turn right onto El Toro Rd and go 2.1 mi to Calle Corta. Turn right on Calle Corta into Gate 9. Turn right at Avenida Sosiega; go 0.2 mi. Turn left at Monte Hermoso; go 0.3 mi. Turn right at Punta Alta, Clubhouse 5 is on the right.
Views: 5

OCA Board Meeting _ Cancelled
2020-03-15 11:00 - 13:30 | The Urban Workshop, 365 Clinton St A, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
This meeting has been cancelled due to concerns about the spreading of COVID-19.

OCA Board Meeting. Please email Alan Smallbone if you plan to attend. The meeting starts at 11am and can last till 2pm.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - Canceled
2020-03-12 20:00 - 22:00 | Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House, Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
Event: Heritage Museum of Orange County
Date: Thursday, 3/12/2020
Viewing at 8:00 PM, Sunset at 6:58 PM
Place: Heritage Museum of Orange County
Address: 3101 W Harvard St; Santa Ana
Location: 33°43’15″N, 117°54’38″W
Directions: Take CA-55 South to 405 N. Merge onto 405 North towards Long Beach. Take the Exit 11 Fairview Rd /Harbor Blvd, keep Right at the fork and follow signs for Fairview Rd. Turn right onto Fairview Rd, 2.2 mi. Turn Left onto West Harvard Rd. The Heritage Museum will be on your right. Turn into the driveway marked for Bus and Employee Entrance and follow it back behind the museum to park.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - Canceled
2020-03-11 20:00 - 21:00 | St. Edward’s Parish School, 33866 Calle La Primavera, Dana Point, CA, 92629, United States
Event: St. Edward Parish School
Date: Wednesday, 3/11/2020
Time: Viewing at 8:00 PM, Sunset at 6:56 PM
Place: St. Edward Parish School
Address: 33866 Calle La Primavera; Dana Point, 92629
Location: 33°28’15″N, 117°41’25″W
Directions: Take I-5 S. Take exit 79 for CA-1; go 0.3 mi. Continue onto CA-1 N; go 1.2 mi. Turn right onto Crystal Lantern; go 0.1 mi. Turn right onto Calle La Primavera/; go 0.5 mi. School is on the left.
Views: 5

Beginner's Class
2020-03-06 19:30 - 21:30 | Orange Coast College, Building 40, Astronomy House, Merrimac Way, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626, United States
The first 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.
The Beginners Astronomy Class is held at the Heritage Museum of Orange County in Santa Ana. For details, please visit /special-interest-groups/beginners-class/ and download the sample information PDF package.
Free and open to the public as well as members of OCA.
Note: All who attend will be invited to visit our monthly Orange County star party.
Views: 5

Private Outreach - Rolling Hills Elementary School
2020-03-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Rolling Hills Elementary School
Event: Rolling Hills Elementary School
Date: Friday, 3/6/2020
Time: Viewing at 7:00 PM, Sunset at 5:53 PM
Place: Rolling Hills Elementary School
Address: 1460 E ROLLING HILLS; FULLERTON, 92835
Location: 33°54’09″N, 117°54’06″W
Directions:
Views: 5
