Cedar Amateur Astronomers Public 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 2016 Public Event Schedule:
- May 7, 8:30 p.m. – Prof. Philip Kaaret, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “The Discovery of Gravitational Waves.”
- June 4, 9:00 p.m. – Prof. Cornelia Lang, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “Observing Down Under: Doing Astronomy in Australia”
- June 11, 9:00 p.m. – Lunar Night, Mr. Doug Slauson, CAA Member: “The Moon”
- July 2, 9:00 p.m. – Mr. Vince Vella, CAA President: “Star Tracking, Housekeeping, and Buses: A Closer Look at Satellites”
- July 16, 3:00 p.m. – Solar Saturday, Mr. Carl Bracken, CAA Member: “The Sun”
- August 6, 8:30 p.m. – Prof. Stephen Spangler, Unviersity of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “The Milky Way — The Galaxy We Call Home”
- September 3, 7:30 p.m. – Mr. Dominic Ludovici, Doctoral Student, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “The Fingerprints of Stars: Optical Spectroscopy with Small Telescopes”
- October 1, 7:30 p.m. – Mr. Brent Studer, CAA Member: “The Great Solar Eclipse of 2017”
- October 29, 7:30 p.m. – Dr. Scott Bounds, CAA Member and Research Scientist at the University of Iowa: “Hawkeyes in Space”
- November 19, 7:30 p.m. – Professor Robert Mutel, University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy: “The University of Iowa’s Gemini Telescopes”
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.
