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 2023 Public Event Schedule:

• January 14, 7:30 p.m. – Brent Studer, Kirkwood Community College: “Winter Stars and a Deeper Exploration of the H-R Diagram”
  • This event will only be held virtually.
• February 11, 7:30 p.m. – Mr. David Falkner: “ACEAP 2022: My Amazing and Unexpected Journey to Visit the Research Telescopes in Chile”
  • This event will only be held virtually.
• March 11, 7:30 p.m. – Professor Steven Spangler – Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa: “Venus: The Earth’s Twin (?)”
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
• April 8, 8:00 p.m. – Brent Studer, Kirkwood Community College: “The Great American Eclipses of 2023 and 2024”
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
• April 22, 6:00 p.m. – Mr. Mark Brown – NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador: Sundog Saturday “Comets – Vagabonds of the Solar System”
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
• May 13, 8:30 p.m. – Kevin Hall, Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Iowa: “Extragalactic Astronomy: From the Great Debate to JWST”
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
• June 10, 8:30 p.m. – Matthew Millard, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Research Scholar, University of Iowa: “Open Questions in High-Energy Astrophysics”
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
• July 8, 8:30 p.m. – Professor Cornelia Lang, Associate Dean and Professor of Astronomy, University of Iowa: “Recent Discoveries from Radio Telescopes: Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and the Center of our Galaxy”
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
  • https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84947426574?pwd=Z3ZsS0lROGF2cGQ5RVpLL3A3Z00yZz09
  • Meeting ID: 849 4742 6574
  • Passcode: 281330
• July 22, 3:00 p.m. – Carl Bracken: Solar Saturday “Solar Max Saturday – Cycle 25 Ahead of the Curve”
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
  • https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82963010568?pwd=eS9YaFp5Q0tmL1owN0lHZm1wcnpEQT09
  • Meeting ID: 829 6301 0568
  • Passcode: 535461
• August 12, 8:00 p.m. – William Kurth Ph.D. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa: Juno’s Extended Exploration of the Jovian System
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
  • https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82963010568?pwd=eS9YaFp5Q0tmL1owN0lHZm1wcnpEQT09
  • Meeting ID: 829 6301 0568
  • Passcode: 535461
• September 9, 7:30 p.m. – Emeritus Professor Steve Spangler, University of Iowa: The Giant Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
  • https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82963010568?pwd=eS9YaFp5Q0tmL1owN0lHZm1wcnpEQT09
  • Meeting ID: 829 6301 0568
  • Passcode: 535461
• October 7, 7:30 p.m. – Jasper S. Halekas, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa: To Touch the Sun
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
  • https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83006955143?pwd=sHbO6OOjsGN2n0rJSBUCLbeaqbU58b.1
  • Meeting ID: 829 6301 0568
  • Passcode: 535461
• October 14, 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Annular Eclipse Celebration. Free Solar Eclipse glasses!
  • This event will be in person only.
• October 21, 7:30 p.m. – Professor Steven Spangler, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa: International Observe the Moon Night
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
  • https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86856752224?pwd=Mg7OiuKcwSaYNabUsgcFaF622uKegk.1
  • Meeting ID: 868 5675 2224
  • Passcode: 859111
• November 4, 7:30 p.m. – Mr. Ahmed Reda, Minnesota Astronomical Society: “The Golden Age of Medieval Astronomy”
  • This event can be attended either virtually or in person.
• December 2, 7:30 p.m. – TBD
  • This event will only be held virtually.

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.

Share This Page: