September 8-10, 2023

Sequoia Dark Sky Festival

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yiY7dChdt3RELCWq9

We will be assisting with the Sequoia National Park Dark Sky Festival to take place Friday-Sunday September 8-10.

Friday, September 8 - Drive to Lodgepole Campground (~5 hours) in morning
- Set up camp
- Free time to hike around and explore

Saturday, September 9

- All the talks
- Q&A panel
- Keynote
- Star Party
- Hiking

Sunday, Setpember 10

Drive back home (~5 hours) in afternoon/evening

Speaker: Dee Dunne
Title: How Astronomers Explore the Universe
Abstract: Have you ever looked at an exciting new astronomical discovery and wondered: how do we know? This talk will look into the different telescopes and techniques that astronomers use to do their science, to explore how we can keep finding out more about our universe.
Bio: Delaney (Dee) Dunne is a graduate student in astronomy at Caltech, who studies how galaxies are formed. She works with a dedicated radio telescope in California's Owens Valley to map the fuel that makes stars throughout the history of the universe.

Speaker: Andreas Faisst
Title: Understanding Galaxies in the Early Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope
Abstract: Galaxies in the early Universe look vastly different than our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and we still do not fully understand how they form. I present the most recent breakthroughs in the study of early galaxy formation and evolution made possible by the brand-new NASA James Webb Space Telescope.
Bio: Dr. Andreas Faisst is a Swiss astronomer at Caltech, who earned his PhD from ETH Zurich. He is an expert in the study of early galaxy formation and the processes that kill galaxies and regularly uses the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. He is a former private pilot, likes to play volleyball and pool billiards, and enjoys the outdoors every weekend.

Speaker: Jessica Spake
Title: Can Exoplanets Keep Their Atmospheres Long Enough for Life to Develop?
Abstract: Earthly life requires water and a stable atmosphere. Our atmosphere has protected liquid water on the Earth’s surface for billions of years - long enough for life to evolve. But since our planet formed, much of its atmosphere has been lost to space, and even today it is slowly trickling away. We seek life beyond our Solar System, and in the last decade we have found hundreds of rocky planets around other stars. Some of these planets seem like the right temperature for liquid water, and therefore life -- but do they still have atmospheres? Or have they been stripped bare by the heat and winds from their parent stars? I’ll explain how we study exoplanets which are losing their atmospheres; and the rocky road to finding planets that may host life.
Bio: Dr. Jessica Spake is a postdoctoral researcher in Caltech's Planetary Science group, having earned her PhD at the University of Exeter in the UK. She develops new ways to observe the atmospheres of exoplanets using instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. She loves trees, rats, and pubs.

Speaker: Julie Inglis
Title: What to Pack for Interplanetary Travel: A Guide to Planetary Weather
Abstract: Have you ever wondered how to dress for different seasons on Mars or Venus, or why Jupiter has its red spot and bands of clouds? Come learn about the diverse climate across different worlds in the solar system and how we can predict the weather on planets around other stars.
Bio: Julie Inglis is a PhD Candidate in Planetary Sciences at Caltech studying the atmospheres and formation of planets around other stars. She has done a lot of work on the Early-Release Exoplanet Science Team for the James Webb Space Telescope. She loves baking, art, and playing basketball with friends.

Speaker: Qicheng Zhang
Title: How Bright is That Comet, Really?
Abstract: If you could travel through time to watch the sky throughout human history, you'd find that the brightest celestial objects you could see, after the Sun, are actually comets. Most comets, however, are so faint they can never be seen without a telescope. Come learn about what comets are, what sets their brightness, and what they actually look like in the sky so that you know what to expect the next time you hear about a "bright" comet passing by.

Speaker: Harshda Saxena
Title: Darkness in Daytime: The Solar Eclipses of 2023 & 2024
Abstract: Witnessing a total solar eclipse can be a life-changing experience. Such an event occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking sunlight for a small region on the Earth and causing it to become "nighttime" in the middle of the day. Unusually, two solar eclipses will be occurring over the USA in the next year: a so-called "Ring of Fire" annular eclipse occurring on October 14, 2023, and a "darkness in daytime" total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Come learn about the phenomena of solar eclipses and how best to experience these upcoming rare spectacular events.

Speaker: Cameron Hummels
Title: Simulating the Universe
Abstract: Galaxies—like our own Milky Way—are among the basic building blocks of our universe. They are complex systems consisting of billions of stars, along with gas, dust, and dark matter that occupy much of what we see when we gaze at the night sky through our telescopes. But passively observing galaxies with telescopes, even the mighty Hubble or James Webb Space Telescopes, can only reveal so much. Join astrophysicist Dr. Cameron Hummels as he discusses how astronomers create sophisticated computer simulations to better understand how galaxies form, evolve, and even predict our own Milky Way's future.