Southwest Montana Astronomical Society

Amateur Astronomy Under The Big Sky
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  • February & March SMAS Meetings

    Posted on January 19th, 2025 Lynn Powers No comments

    We have two guest speakers lined up for our February and March SMAS club meetings. Zoom links will be emailed to members, contact us if you have any questions.

    February 12th, at 7 p.m. the topic will be on Exoplanets. (see description below)

    March 12th, at 7 p.m. the topic will be how to stay warm when out observing during the winter.

    We are also looking at a star party this summer, most likely on July 26th.

    “EXOPLANETS – FINDING PLANETS AROUND OTHER STARS”

    Poster of confirmed Exoplanets

    Just a few decades ago, exoplanets – planets circling other stars – were science fiction. No more. The first exoplanets were found in 1992. Today, that number is nearing 6,000 confirmed, with many more waiting to be reviewed. And the closest exoplanet is only 4.2 light years away. But how do we find planets that are even “only” 4.2 light years – 25,300,000,000,000 miles – away? Can non-astronomers help?

    Come to this presentation to find out. We’ll look at: – What are exoplanets? – What types of exoplanets have we found? What do these findings indicate? – How to find exoplanets using techniques like transit, radial velocity, and microlensing. And what are these techniques? If you’re not an astronomer, they sound incomprehensible, but their concepts are often straightforward. For example, if you’ve ever had a moth fly in front of your porch light, you understand the concept behind the transit technique. – Two ways for non-scientists to investigate exoplanets. The more we learn, the stranger and more interesting the universe becomes.

  • January 8, 2025, Club Meeting

    Posted on January 5th, 2025 Lynn Powers No comments
    For the first time ever, we are
    exploring a world made not of
    rock or ice, but of metal.

    The Psyche mission is a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Launched on October 13, 2023, this orbiter mission will be spending the next few years getting to its intended destination.

    Come join us for for guest speaker SSA Trena Johnson Wednesday January 8th starting at 7 p.m. to learn more about this mission.

    The meeting will be done via zoom.

  • YVAA is back!

    Posted on October 11th, 2022 Lynn Powers No comments

    Over the past several months, SMAS has been contacted by different people in the Billings area asking if we knew anything about the Yellowstone Valley Astronomical Association or how to contact their board members. Together we did some research and hunted down some answers. On Saturday, November 12th at 3:00 p.m. at the Billings Public Library ( 510 N Broadway), the new YVAA will hold its first meeting. A guest speaker will give a talk on the James Webb Space Telescope and an update on the Artemis 1 mission. This will be immediately followed by a general club meeting for those interested in the YVAA. This is free and open to the public. SMAS is excited to see YVAA back up and running.

  • JWST resources

    Posted on September 14th, 2022 Lynn Powers No comments

    Here are some of the websites that we like to use for information about the James Webb Space Telescope mission, as well as their image releases.

    JWST Fact Sheet: https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/assets/documents/WebbFactSheet.pdf

    JWST website and Gallery: https://webbtelescope.org/

    NASA JWST Mission Page: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html

    JWST at NASA Goddard: https://jwst.nasa.gov/index.html

    European Space Agence and JWST: https://esawebb.org/

    Canadian Space Agency and JWST: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/jwst/

    Toolbox to download and analyze the JWST pictures yourself: https://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science-execution/data-analysis-toolbox

    Where is the JWST: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html

    JWST side by side comparison to Hubble images: https://www.webbcompare.com/

    Deep Space Network: https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html

    JWST STEM toolkit: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/webb-toolkit.html

    JWST Gallery, media videos: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/Gallery/JWST.html

    NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System: https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/home

    Archive, Hubble Mosaics: https://archive.stsci.edu/contents/newsletters/may-2022/multi-visit-mosaics-from-hubble-now-available

  • SMAS March Winter Lecture Series

    Posted on February 28th, 2022 Lynn Powers No comments

    Join us Thursday March 3, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. via zoom.

    The SMAS Winter Lecture Series continues, we will be joined by Jack Howard who will give a zoom presentation starting at 7:00 p.m. 
    “Hello Out There – Anybody Home?” – the search for intelligent life among nearby planetary systems.  
    One of the mission directives for the James Webb Space Telescope is to look for exoplanets, so this seems timely. 
    Jack Howard first became interested in astronomy and space exploration when Sputnik was launched, Echo I crossed the night sky, and the race to the Moon began. He earned a BS in physics and math at King College and a master’s degree in astronomy from James Cook University. In 2000, he started the astronomy program at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in North Carolina, where he teaches physics and astronomy. Since then, he has shared the wonders of space and the excitement of discovery with diverse groups in the Charlotte (NC) area. Jack is a member of the Charlotte astronomy club. His main interests are solar system exploration, exoplanet research, human space flight, and cosmology.

  • What was your first telescope?

    Posted on February 15th, 2022 Lynn Powers No comments
  • SMAS February Winter Lecture Series

    Posted on January 24th, 2022 Lynn Powers No comments

    Thursday, February 3rd: SMAS Club meeting via zoom, starting at 7:00 p.m.
    Guest Speaker Vannessa Gressieux will give a tour of the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona. More info to come when we get closer to this event.

  • SMAS January winter lecture series

    Posted on January 13th, 2022 Lynn Powers No comments

    Thursday, January 13th: SMAS Club meeting via zoom, starting at 7:00 p.m.
    Guest speaker and Solar System Ambassador Pat Monteith will give a presentation “Back to the Moon and on to Mars”

    On July 20, 1969, the whole world held its breath and stood still as NASA Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface; everyone erupted in a worldwide celebration as the two space pilots touched down onto the Sea of Tranquility. Now, more than 50 years later, the US is still benefiting from the six Apollo moon-landing missions. The International Space Station was the next focus for many years, but as recently as 2015, NASA laid out plans to land humans on Mars by 2030.  This undertaking changed a few years ago and NASA has since realized it might make more sense to first go back to the Moon.  Learn about NASA’s plans to develop a sustainable infrastructure on the Moon and how they plan to use a new powerful rocket, spacecraft, and a moon-orbiting gateway to eventually fly humans to Mars. 

  • Dakota Nights Astronomy Festival 2021

    Posted on August 6th, 2021 Lynn Powers No comments
  • SMAS March club meeting

    Posted on March 4th, 2021 Lynn Powers No comments

    Join us on zoom, Thursday, March 4, 2021, starting at 7:00 p.m. as we welcome Sally Jensen, Solar System Ambassador for her talk on the Mars 2020 Mission and see what Pereverane is doing now that it has safely landed on Mars. Followed by Question and Answer time.