2018 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 2018 Public Event Schedule:
March 10, 7:30 p.m. – Prof. Steve Spangler, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “New Views of the Universe: Gravitational Waves and Neutron Star Mergers”- April 14, 7:30 p.m. – Brent Studer, Kirkwood Community College, CAA member: “Here Be Dragons. Unsolved Mysteries in Astronomy”
- May 5, 8:30 p.m. – Mr. Doug Nauman, Cedar Amateur Astronomers: “Stellar Spectra”
- June 2, 8:30 p.m. – Dr. Scott Bounds, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “Orbits”
- June 30, 9:00 p.m. – Mr. John Leeson, Cedar Amateur Astronomers: “What is up in the night sky”
- July 14, 8:30 p.m. – Prof. Allison Jaynes, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “The origins and mystery of the aurora”
- August 4, 8:00 p.m. – Prof. Ken Galley, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “The Search for Planets beyond the Solar System”
- August 18, 3:00 p.m. – Solar Day – Mr. Carl Bracken, Cedar Amateur Astronomers: “The Sun”
- September 1, 7:30 p.m. – Prof. Ken Gayley, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “Why are some stars so much brighter than others, and how bright can they get?”
- September 29, 7:30 p.m. – Mr. Brent Studer: TBA
- October 20, 7:30 p.m. – International Observe the Moon Night – Mr Doug Slauson, Cedar Amateur Astronomers: “Earth’s Moon”
- November 3, 7:30 p.m. – Prof. David Miles, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: TBA
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.
