September 6-9, 2024

Sequoia Dark Sky Festival

We will be assisting with the Sequoia National Park Dark Sky Festival to take place Friday-Sunday September 6-8.

Each volunteer is giving a public presentation over the weekend:

Uncovering the timeline of our universe with radio waves

Abstract: How did the first stars of our universe form? What do we mean by the Dark Ages? When did the Cosmic Dawn occur? To answer all of these fundamental questions about our universe we need radio telescopes in the most remote places - some scientists argue even on the Moon! In this talk ill tell you how and why radio astronomy is the best way to unravel the mysteries of our early universe!

Exploring strange new worlds: finding planets around other stars

Abstract: Are we alone? Are Solar Systems like ours unique or commonplace? What strange new worlds exist, and how do we know? Come learn about how astronomers find and study planets orbiting other stars (aka “exoplanets”) and how we might look for signs of life on those planets one day.

A Portrait of the Sun as a Young Star

Abstract: In the grand scheme of things, we've only been recording the evolution of the Sun for a short time-- "only" a few thousand years. But what was the Sun like thousands of years ago? Or millions of years ago? Or billions of years? And how do we learn about how the Sun was acting and what that might've meant for the Earth? In this talk I'll be explaining the history of our Sun and how we've come to know.