Program: "2024: The Year in Review - Astronomy/Weather"

Presented by David Bishop, Astronomy Section of the Rochester Academy of Science and Perry Pezzolanella, MVAS

Program: "Astrophysics with the Naked Eye: How Meteor Showers Were Discovered"

Presented by Steven Fentress, former director of the Strasenburgh Planetarium in Rochester, NY

Program: "E.E. Barnard and His Dark Nebula"

In memory of MVAS member Al Mlinar

Presented by Larry McHenry, amateur astronomer, Pittsburgh, PA

Program: "Oh, Say Can You See?"

A discussion of observing site selection considerations and geographic and atmospheric conditions that can affect how well we can observe the sky.

Presented by Gordon Fesenger, MVAS

Program: "The Hubble Space Telescope - 35 years of Science!"

When Hubble launched in 1990, astronomers had great expectations for what this telescope would teach us about the Universe. From examining nearby star forming regions to probing the deepest depths of the early universe, the Hubble Space Telescope has transformed our understanding of the cosmos. As we celebrate Hubble’s 35th anniversary in space, we’ll take a look back at some of its historic photos, explore some recent discoveries, and look towards the future to see what Hubble might reveal to us next.

Presented by Valerie Rapson, PhD, State University of New York at Oneonta

Program: "Pluto: The Heart of the Solar System"

Presented by Perry Pezzolanella, MVAS

Program: "Star-B-Que"

Presented by MVAS. For club members and their guests.

Program: "Astronauts, Rockets, Robots… and the International Space Station"

We'll take a trip to the International Space Station. During our fun adventure to the world’s premier research laboratory, we will learn what it is like to live and work in space, how astronauts travel to the station, and take a look at some examples of robotic testing and the robots that assist astronauts and ground teams.

Presented by NASA Solar System Ambassador Carol Higgins

Program: "Dawn of a Rock Star: An Amateur Asteroid Hunter’s Journey as Viewed on the Ho Tung Visualization Lab Dome"

Original asteroid hunt results displayed on the dome of the Vis-Lab.

Presented by Perry Pezzolanella, MVAS, and Joe Eakin, Technical Director

Program: "The Missing Satellite Galaxy Problem and Astrophysical Computation” "

Via Zoom

Presented by Dr. John (Johnny) Powell, Reed College, Portland Oregon

Program: "Are We Alone? NASA’s Search for Life Outside the Solar System"

In the last three decades, the explosion of exoplanet discoveries have demonstrated that, on average, every star in the Milky Way hosts a planetary system. With so many planets now discovered, our next challenge is characterizing the atmospheres of those planets to assess their potential habitability and search for the signs of active biology. This talk will highlight recent exoplanet discoveries and describe the role that the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is playing in developing the science, hardware, and training the next generations of scientists and engineers for NASA’s upcoming flagship exoplanet mission, the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). It will describe the HWO mission and how the University of Colorado is developing hardware on small satellites and rocket missions, and how they use these missions to train the students who will lead NASA’s future missions like HWO and beyond.

Presented by Kevin France, PhD, University of Colorado at Boulder

Program: "Members' Show 'n Tell"

Presented by MVAS