Bay Area Star Party

We are throwing a regional star party at over 20 different sites across the Bay Area.  Colleges, schools, observatories and science centers around the Bay Area will be open, and both professional and amateur astronomers will be on hand to offer telescope viewing and observing tips.  If the sky is cloudy, many sites will still offer indoor astronomy activities.  Some institutions will also have astronomy talks and events that evening, regardless of the weather.  Join us for a stellar evening. A “star party” is an occasion to view the night sky together, with our eyes, binoculars, or telescopes.

When: Saturday, November 5th, Various Times (see below for specific times)

Organized by Andrew Fraknoi (Foothill College & Astronomical Society of the Pacific)

Where: 

Cost: FREE

Star Party Map (click on each site for details)

View Bay Area Star Party Map in a larger map

Full Details:

A “star party” is an occasion to view the night sky together, with our eyes, binoculars, or telescopes.  As part of the Bay Area Science Festival, we are throwing a regional star party at over 20 different sites.  Colleges, schools, observatories and science centers around the Bay Area will be open, and both professional and amateur astronomers will be on hand to offer telescope viewing and observing tips.  If the sky is cloudy, many sites will still offer indoor astronomy activities.  Some institutions will also have astronomy talks and events that evening, regardless of the weather.  Join us for a stellar evening.

 

Locations:_____________________________________________________________

Antioch
Berkeley
Cupertino
Hayward
Los Altos
Marin (Mt. Tamalpais)
Newark
Oakland
Pleasant Hill
Rohnert Park
Salinas
San Francisco
San Jose
San Leandro
San Mateo
Santa Cruz
Walnut Creek

Other sites may be added. Check out the latest information at:  http://www.astrosociety.org/events/starparty.html

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Antioch

Deer Valley High School Planetarium, 4700 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, CA

Enter from behind the school, go past the school, turn on Sagebrush, enter back parking lot.  Look for sandwich boards directing you to the planetarium entrance.)

Regardless of weather, there will be a workshop about black holes with free NASA materials conducted from 6 – 8 pm in room 511.  Registration is recommended as space is limited to 25 participants.  To register, send email to: astronomyteacher@mac.com .

• At 8 pm there will be a planetarium show entitled ”Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity” narrated by Liam Neeson. The planetarium seats 40; chairs are available for adults and floor seating for children. (May not be suitable for extremely young children due to the very dark environment.)
• Following the program there will be observing in the school’s parking lot.  Telescopes will be available and we will look at the moon and Jupiter and various constellations. In case of clouds, observing will be replaced by a tour of the night sky in the planetarium.

Updates posted at www.dvACEacademy.com
More information: astronomyteacher@me.com

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Berkeley

The Lawrence Hall of Science, Main Plaza, 1 Centennial Drive #5200, Berkeley, CA 94720

• 8 – 10 pm: If the weather is clear, we will be observing on the Main Plaza of the Lawrence Hall of Science in the hills above the Berkeley campus, through some of our “Saturday Night Stargazing” telescopes, with the astronomy staff. The event will be free and open to the public. Please park in the East Lot or the Vista Lot—parking is free after 8:00 p.m.
• Besides views of our own Moon, we’ll be enjoying views of Jupiter and its four large moons, all lined up in a row, two on either side of Jupiter. Several deep sky objects will also be visible: Starting with the Double Cluster in Perseus, we’ll move on to the slightly older stars of the stars of the Pleiades. From there, we’ll continue on to the famous blue & gold double star, Albireo, and then on to the dying star that formed the Ring Nebula. If that’s not enough, we’ll also try for the globular cluster—a dense cluster of old stars—M15 and the Andromeda Galaxy.

For more information, visit us at http://sites.google.com/site/lhsstargazing/ or follow us on Twitter as @lhsstargazing.

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Cupertino

De Anza College Fujitsu Planetarium, near parking lot E, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, California, 95014

• Free telescope viewing will take place (weather permitting) outside the planetarium from dark to 10:00pm. Everyone welcome.
• Saturday evenings are public show nights at the planetarium, and shows will be presented as usual, with 3 astronomy shows and 2 laser light shows that night. See our web site at: http://planetarium.deanza.edu for show times, prices and directions.

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Hayward

1) Chabot College Astronomy Department, 25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545

• Free public planetarium show at the Chabot College planetarium, Building 1900, from 7:00 – 7:45 pm.  (Space is limited and reservations are required.  Please contact Scott Hildreth at: shildreth@chabotcollege.edu for information.)
• Free telescope viewing from Chabot College campus from 7 pm – 9:30 pm, weather permitting.
• In case of cloudy weather, an additional planetarium show will be held free for the public from 8:00 – 8:45 pm, limited to the first 50 people who arrive and sign up by 7:45 pm.

For a campus map, please visit http://www.chabotcollege.edu/about/CampusMap.cfm

For more information: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/faculty/shildreth/basf2011.htm

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2) California State University East Bay, 25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard, Hayward, CA 94542
Dr. Gary Weston will lead two brief observing sessions separated by an indoor lecture:

• 4 – 4:30 pm: Science Picnic Area, East Lawn of Science Buildings: Observing the Sun with a Telescope
• 4:45 – 5:45 pm: South Science Building 143, Lecture: “Recent Discoveries and Beautiful Observations in Astronomy” (The lecture will summarize recent discoveries by the Cassini mission to Saturn and Kepler mission searching for extra-solar planet transits.  Images and videos from spectacular atmospheric effects and solar eclipses will also be discussed.)
• 6 – 8 pm:  Science Picnic Area, East Lawn of Science Buildings: Observing the Moon and Jupiter with a Telescope

For a campus map, see: http://www20.csueastbay.edu/about/visitor-information/maps-campus-locations/hayward-campus-map/index.html

For more information, contact Dr. Gary Weston: gary.weston@csueastbay.edu, (510) 885-3448

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Los Altos

Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills, CA 94022

Co-hosted with the Peninsula Astronomical Society, the SETI Institute, and NASA’s Lunar Science Institute

• Telescope viewing at the Foothill Observatory, 6:30pm to 9:30pm. The observatory will be open free to all visitors. Telescopes from the Peninsula Astronomical Society will be set up in the area around the observatory, provided the sky is clear.  Regardless of sky conditions, members from the NASA Lunar Science Institute will be setting up downstairs at the observatory, providing handouts, displaying Moon rocks, and demonstrating Moon Zoo (through which the public can help analyze the images coming back from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.)  Please park in the west end of Parking Lot 3 and walk uphill to the observatory, which is located next to the Krause Center.  Please note that parking costs $2 in quarters.

For directions to the observatory and Parking Lot 3, see the map at:

http://www.pastro.org/dnn/Observatory/Maps.aspx

A Foothill College campus map is at: http://www.foothill.edu/news/maps.php

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Marin (Mt. Tamalpais)

Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Cushing Memorial Theater (Mountain Theater)

3801 Panoramic Highway, Mill Valley, CA 94941

(Program jointly sponsored by the Mt. Tam Astronomy Programs, Wonderfest, and the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers)

• 6:30 – 7:30 pm: a talk by Dr. Michael Kuhlen, from the Theoretical Astrophysics Center at UC Berkeley, on “The Milky Way as a Dark Matter Laboratory
• 7:30 – 8:00 pm: a naked-eye tour of the night sky presented by Paul Salazar and Tucker Hiatt
• 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Telescope observing in the Rock Springs Parking Lot (depending on sky conditions)

FREE event, open to all ages, students encouraged to attend

For maps and directions, see: http://mttam.net/maps-and-directions.html

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Newark

Newark Memorial High School Star Lab Portable Planetarium, 39375 Cedar Blvd, Newark, CA 94560

• Free public planetarium shows every 30 minutes inside the MaST Star Lab planetarium from 6 pm – 9 pm.

• Free telescope viewing outside the Newark Memorial Star Lab
• Exhibits demonstrating how the Earth rotates on its axis while it revolves around the sun, why stars appear to move across our night sky, and the evolution of stars.
• Our docents will have iPads to further enhance their presentations and make the night more interactive.
• Free arts and crafts for all visitors!!

FREE event, open to all ages

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Oakland

Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland, CA

The stars are out and the party is on! Join us for star-gazing, science talks, a live planetarium show, hands-on demos, a special theatre showing, and Discovery Lab for our junior explorers (under 7 years old). Festivities are 6pm – 10pm.

Hands-on demos throughout the Center presented by our Galaxy Explorers

• 6 pm: Planetarium Show “Two Small Pieces of Glass” (all about Galileo and telescopes)
• 7 pm & 9 pm: Planetarium Show: “Cosmos 360” in Chabot’s digital-dome planetarium. Fly through the Solar System and warp out to the edge of our galaxy, exploring wonders of the night sky and lifting your imagination to a new orbit.
• 8 pm: Planetarium Show: Tales of the Maya Skies
• Telescope Viewing on the Observatory Deck and Lower Lot. NOTE: The Deck is open until midnight, the center closes at 10pm.
• Telescope Makers Workshop (open to the public) led by the Eastbay Astronomical Society: Learn how to make your own telescope or use the one you have better.

For more information: www.chabotspace.org, (510) 336-7373

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Pleasant Hill

Diablo Valley College, Astronomy Department, near Stubbs Road and Viking Drive, Pleasant Hill.

• We will host a free Planetarium Show at 6:15 PM in the DVC Planetarium (code PL on the map) and observing at the DVC observatory, from 7 – 9 pm, weather permitting.  The closest parking is in lot 4.
• In case of clouds or rain, observing will be cancelled, but we will have a planetarium show at 7 pm in addition to the one at 6:15. The planetarium seats 40. No one can be admitted after the show begins.

Phone 925-209-6317 or see http://cleardarksky.com/c/DblVyCCAkey.html?1 whether it is cloudy.

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Rohnert Park

Sonoma State University Observatory, 1801 East Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, California 94928

8 pm – 10 pm: Telescope viewing at the SSU Observatory.  The observatory will be open free to all visitors for stargazing and discussion with astronomers and student docents. The Observatory is located inside the stadium area at the SE corner of the campus (East Cotati Avenue and Petaluma Hill Road, 2 miles east of U.S. 101 at Cotati.)

In case of rain, please come instead to Darwin Hall Room 103, where Professor Severson of our Astronomy Department will give a presentation from 8 to 9 pm in lieu of observing.

For more details or updates, see: http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/publicviewingnight.shtml or the observatory voicemail at: (707) 664-2267

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Salinas

Hartnell College Planetarium, 411 Central Avenue, Salinas, CA 93901

• Open House and star viewing event from 6 – 9 pm.  The evening will feature short planetarium programs, demonstrations, hands-on activities and views through telescopes. The event is free and open to all. Parking will be available in the three-story Central Avenue Parking Structure.
• The telescope viewing portion of the event will begin at 6:30 but will be canceled in case of poor weather. All other activities are indoors and will be ongoing, starting at 6pm. A schedule of events will be posted and visitors are welcome to come when they can stay as long as they like.

For directions the Hartnell Main Campus: http://www.hartnell.edu/about/hartnell.html

For a campus map, see: http://www.hartnell.edu/about/hartnell_campus.html
For more information, please call the Planetarium Hotline at 831 770-6161
Details can also be found on our web page: www.hartnell.edu/planetarium/special

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San Francisco

San Francisco State University, Thornton Hall, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, CA  94132

• Planetarium Shows at 8pm and 9pm (The planetarium is on the 4th floor of Thornton Hall — Room TH422; Go in the main door of the building, take the elevator to the 4^th floor, and look for the planetarium entrance there.  Once a show has started, you can’t get in.)
• Telescope viewing in the observatory from 8 pm until 10 pm (The observatory is on the 10th floor of Thornton Hall — Room TH1002; Go in the main door of the building, take the elevator to the 9^th floor and follow the signs up to the observatory.  You may drop in any time between 8 pm and 10 pm.)
• In case of cloudy weather, telescope viewing will not happen, but demonstrations and Q&A session will occur in Room TH411, just down the hall from the planetarium.  Planetarium shows will happen clear or cloudy.

For a campus map see: http://www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumap/
For other directions to the observatory and planetarium see: http://www.physics.sfsu.edu/astronomy/Directions/directions.html

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San Jose

San Jose State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192

• Telescope viewing of the Moon, planets, star clusters and more, as well as hands-on astronomy activities, will be hosted by faculty and students. Telescopes will be set up from 6:00-10:00 PM on the Tower Lawn between Tower Hall, the Martin Luther King Library and the Science Building. (See grid location B-1 on the SJSU campus map.)
• In case of cloudy weather, SJSU faculty and students will present illustrated talks along with hands-on activities in Room 142 of the Science Building.

For a campus map, see: www.sjsu.edu/map
For campus parking information, see: www.sjsu.edu/parking/maps/
For event inquiries, call (408) 924-5210
See our web page for more details: www.physics.sjsu.edu

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Lick Observatory, 7281 Mount Hamilton Road, Mount Hamilton, CA 95140 (18 miles east of San Jose on State Route 130) (408) 274-5061

• 7:00 – 11:00 p.m.: Public viewing through the 36-inch Great Lick Refractor and the 40-inch Nickel Reflector
• 7:30 p.m.: Astronomy Lecture: Two Views of the Moon – Dr. Graeme Smith, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz
• 9:00 p.m.: Astronomy Lecture: Astronomy and Cosmology (not to be confused with Astrology, Gastronomy and Cosmetology) — Dr. Raja GuhaThakurta, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz
• Note: If poor weather prevents viewing through the telescopes, each of the lectures will be given twice, once simultaneously at 7:30 p.m. and again simultaneously at 9:00 p.m.
• The exhibit hall, gift shop and digital display gallery will be open to the public. Refreshments will be available for purchase.
• Attendees will receive a commemorative booklet featuring 12 Moon images taken through Lick Observatory’s historic 36-inch telescope.

Tickets are $7 each; they are limited and may be purchased in advance online at: http://SantaCruzTickets.com or by phone at: 831.459.2159.   Tickets go on sale September 15th and ticket sales close on November 5th at 4:00 p.m. or when all available tickets have been sold. Limit of 6 tickets per party.

For more information and driving directions, please visit our website: www.ucolick.org/public

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San Jose Astronomical Association, in Houge Park on Twilight Drive, San Jose, CA.  140 feet north of the intersection of Twilight and Rupert Drives, turn into the driveway immediately north of the tennis court fence.

• Telescopes will be set up from 7 to 10 pm in the park to show the gibbous moon, bright Jupiter, faint Uranus, colorful double star Albireo, the Ring Nebula, and other celestial objects as conditions permit.   Please car-pool if practical, as parking is somewhat limited. When entering the lot, try to park away from the tennis courts, where the astronomers have their equipment.
• If it is cloudy, members of the club will be there to talk about telescopes and answer astronomy questions.

Directions with Google-supported routing: http://www.sjaa.net/directions.shtml

For weather prospects, see <http://www.sjaa.net/hotline.shtml> after 1:00 pm.  If conditions change, this page will be updated.

After 1 pm, a short weather message will be available at 408-559-1221.

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Evergreen Valley College, 3095 Yerba Buena Rd., San Jose, CA 95135

The Montgomery Hill Observatory will be hosting the following activities:

• Lunar Geology for Children ages 9 – 12, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Space is limited and on a first-come first-served bases. For reservations, please contact the astronomer at: celso.batalha@evc.edu
• Observations of Moon, Jupiter, Uranus, the Pleiades and other interesting celestial sights. Astronomers will be using the roll-off roof building equipped with a 14” Celestron telescope, and the dome building with a 7″ refractor. Nine portable telescopes will be available for public use. The star gazing will be held inside the dome and/or roll-off roof buildings after 7:00 PM. Attendance is free but limited to 50 visitors. (A “Hold Harmless Agreement” must be signed by the visitors before attending the viewing.)

In case of cloudy weather the activities will be cancelled.

For a campus map, see: www.evc.edu/maps/campus_map.htm

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San Leandro
San Leandro High School, 2200 Bancroft Avenue, San Leandro, CA 94577

• Afternoon solar viewing and fun educational astronomy activities (3:00-6:00p)
• Special “teen zone” solar activity booth for teens only – as part of the NASA-funded Surfin’ the Solar Wind program – see http://www.teensolarinvestigators.org (3:00-6:00p)
• Talks, informal discussions, and other fun activities with UC Berkeley scientists around the latest cutting-edge astronomy research (6:00-9:00p)
• Nighttime telescope viewing and activities for the whole family (6:00-9:00p)
• Note: If skies are cloudy, the event will offer fun, family activities and astronomer talks and informal discussions indoors.

For Directions and more detailed event information, see: http://www.slhs.net, http://www.teensolarinvestigators.org/, http://www.eastbayastro.org, or http://scienceatcal.berkeley.edu

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San Mateo

College of San Mateo, Building 36, 1700 West Hillsdale Boulevard, San Mateo, CA 94402

College of San Mateo and the San Mateo County Astronomical Society present:

A Family Science and Astronomy Festival (free and open to the public)

• 2:00 pm: Free planetarium show
• 2:30 to 4:30 pm: Science demonstrations by CSM science faculty (Chemistry, Biology, Geology, and Physics)
• 4:30 to 6:30 pm: Astronomy events, hands-on workshops and a planetarium show.  Learn how to build a telescope for under $40, watch how you can make a comet on Earth, etc.
• 6:30 to 8:30 pm: Keynote speech by Dr. Alex Filippenko (University of California, Berkeley) in the CSM Theater (Building 3) on “Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe”
• 8:30 – 9 pm: Speaker reception in Theater lobby
• 9:15 to 11:00 pm: Telescope observing at the CSM rooftop observatory (dress warmly)

Park free of charge in the Marie Curie lot (lot 5) for the all events, and after 4:00 pm in Beethoven lot (lot 2) for the keynote presentation.

For more information, go to: www.SMCAS.com or http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/

For a campus map, see: http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/map/

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Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz, Dept of Astronomy and Astrophysics:

The event will take place on the UCSC campus, on a field behind the Music Center starting at 7 pm.  We will be setting up numerous telescopes.  Visitors will be taken on a tour of the night sky from planets and moons within our solar system to star forming nebulae to ancient globular clusters to decaying remnants of exploded stars to neighboring galaxies.

• If the weather is not conducive to observing, Greg Laughlin will give a talk entitled: “The Future of the Solar System” starting at 7pm in the Media Theater (Performing ARTS M110).
  

More information and maps will be posted on:

http://www.astro.ucsc.edu/news-events/astro_club1

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Walnut Creek

Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society at:

1) Sports Basement, 1881 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94598  (925) 941-6100

2) Heather Farms Park, 301 North San Carlos Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598

3 pm to 9 pm: Astronomy activities rain or shine, evening stargazing if it is clear.

• Astronomy activities every hour until 7 PM, stargazing until 9 PM. During the day special solar telescopes will be available to view the Sun. In the evening you can observe the Moon, Jupiter, and other fascinating objects.
• Weather permitting, telescopes will be setup in the parking lot in front of the Sports Basement and toward the back of Heather Farms Park. The park site offers free parking, free admission, easy location to find, directly across Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek.

For additional information and directions visit:

http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/event-view.cfm?Event_ID=29926

If you have questions, email us at: outreachinfo@mdas.net