2022 Cedar Amateur Astronomers Public Observing Event

The Cedar Amateur Astronomers hosts Saturday Public Observing events featuring a guest speaker followed, if weather permits, by celestial viewings through telescopes at the facility. During viewing hours, society members will be available to answer questions and provide everyone with an opportunity to look through the Society’s telescopes.

Cedar Amateur Astronomers 2022 Public Event Schedule:

• January 29, 7:30 p.m. – Professor Evan Skillman: “Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the Primordial Helium Abundance”
• February 26, 7:30 p.m. – Professor Clement Pryke, University of Minnesota:  “Studying the Beginning of the Universe from the Bottom of the World”
• March 26, 7:30 p.m. – Professor Steven Spangler, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa: “Open Star Clusters: Jewels of the Spring Sky”
• April 23, 8:00 p.m. – Professor Allison Jaynes, Assistant Professor, University of Iowa:  “The LAMP Rocket Mission: Shining a Light on Pulsating Aurora (Challenges and Successes)”
  • In person and virtual event
    • https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81521867856?pwd=U01ucldyR1Yrd1FMQ0l4Wlc0YXpFdz09
    • Meeting ID: 815 2186 7856
    • Passcode: 475108
• May 7, 8:00 p.m. – Professor David Peate, Professor of Geochemistry, University of Iowa: “What scientists can learn from studying meteorites and their impacts”
• May 21, 8:30 p.m. – Professor Hai Fu, Associate Professor, University of Iowa: TBD
• June 18, 8:30 p.m. – TBD
• July 9, 3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. – Mr. Carl Bracken, CAA Treasurer: “Solar Saturday”
• July 23, 8:30 p.m. – TBD
• August 20, 8:00 p.m. – Professor Brent Studer:  TBD
• September 17, 7:30 p.m. – TBD
• October 1, 7:30 p.m. – Mr. Doug Slauson: “InOMN – International Observe the Moon Night”
• October 15, 7:30 p.m. – TBD
• November 19, 7:30 p.m. – TBD
• December 10, 7:30 p.m. – TBD
  • VIRTUAL MEETING ONLY:
  • Meeting ID: 
  • Passcode: 

The Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center is located at Palisades-Dows Nature Preserve and Observatory on the southeast edge of Palisades-Kepler State Park.  It can be reached by traveling south from Mount Vernon on Highway 1 past the bridge for the Cedar River. Directions to the observatory are indicated by brown State Park signs at the entrances to Ivanhoe Road on Highway 1 and near the observatory’s driveway at 1365 Ivanhoe Road.