Interested in hearing and seeing more about recent developments in this, the “The Golden Age of Astronomy?” Or going “where no man has gone before?” Or getting out to see some of the wonders of the night sky, constellations & sky lore? Hear about discoveries of exoplanets, gravity waves, cosmology, dark matter & energy, exotic stars & galaxies, etc. from people doing research. Developments in ground, airborne & space instruments. Or try out some cool amateur astronomy gear for observing, astrophotography or real science. You can share the excitement with local school kids or the public. Or tour & learn the history & discoveries at Mt. Wilson. We span a broad range of interests and abilities. We also encompass the subjects of exobiology, astronautics, planetary defense, solar system exploration & colonization, the interplanetary space environment, archaeoastronomy, and more.
President: | Mark H.Clayson |
Treasurer: | Alan Olson |
The AEA Astronomy Club brings together people with all kinds of interests in astronomy, and with a broad range of knowledge and experience – from novice to advanced. We meet monthly for presentations on current topics of interest and research, presented by local university scientists, in-house experts & amateurs, online & DVD productions, etc. Every third mtg. (quarterly) includes pizza. We also stay in touch & keep up with astronomy news & local events (lectures & observing) with a monthly newsletter, emails and club in-house and external websites (https://aeropedia.aero.org/aeropedia/index.php/Astronomy_Club & http://astronomicalview.blogspot.com).
We also have a variety of activities. A popular one is our annual trip to Mt. Wilson for a tour of the historical facilities (including Aerospace’s MAFIOT), and a night of observing with either the 60- or 100-inch telescope. We also have occasional observing nights with the club’s and personal telescopes at various dark locations. We support various local school STEM astronomy nights, and public star parties at Griffith Observatory. We occasionally set up telescopes in the AGO mall for eclipses, transits and solar activity. And we have organized total solar eclipse expeditions for over 100 employees & friends/family to places like Cabo San Lucas and eastern Idaho.
The club has an extensive equipment pool for members to borrow from, including simple portable scopes & binoculars, to larger (up to 16 inch aperture) telescopes. And various astronomical cameras, filters and other peripherals. Members also enjoy the benefits of our group membership in the Astronomical League. We also have an online archive of past presentations & newsletters, as well as a physical library. If you are interested, please contact our president!
Meetings: | AEA Astronomy Club meetings are on 1st Thursdays at 11:45 am. Quarterly pizza parties at the Jan., April, July & Oct. mtgs. |
Dues: | $12 for 12 months for current and former Aerospace employees and $16 for others 16 for all others (family, friends, Air Force, contractors) |
Upcoming Events: | March 5, 11:45am, A1/1026 “Overview and Status of the Giant Magellan Telescope,” Breann Sitarsky of GMT Corp. & Aerospace casual (works on the design and specification of the telescope and its subsystems)
April 2, 11:45am, A1/1026, Quarterly pizza party & short Great Courses lecture on astronomy? Sept. 19? Annual club night at Mt. Wilson – this year a half night of observing on the 100-inch telescope (we alternate years on the 60-inch and 100-inch). Also possibly a tour of the Aerospace MAFFIOT facility, and docent tour of all of the Mt. Wilson facilities. October TBD – Annual Dana Middle School (Hawthorne) stargazing night STEM outreach<>November TBD – Annual Smith Elementary School (Lawndale) stargazing night STEM outreach April 8, 2024 – group trip to the total solar eclipse – likely to San Antonio, Texas. 4 ½ minutes of totality! More info at https://aerolink.aero.org/cs/llisapi.dll?unc=ll&objaction=overview&objid=47855074. |