February & March SMAS Meetings

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”

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.