Cernan Earth & Space Center

08/14/2024

The next general meeting and lecture of the Chicago Astronomical Society (CAS) will be on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at the Cernan Earth and Space Center.

Please note! - This meeting has a different schedule than previous meetings

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5:30 PM – Astro-chat over pizza and soft drinks.

6:00 PM -- The LECTURE will begin. Our speaker will be Dr. Joshua Burton.

The LECTURE title is "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow ..." - the long, LONG future of our solar system, of the universe, and of sufficiently intelligent life.

In this lecture Dr. Burton uses the laws of physics to speculate as to how a sufficiently advanced civilization could exist and possibly thrive billions of years in the future when stars no longer exist.

8:30 PM-- If the weather permits there will be telescope viewing of gibbous moon and stars of the summer triangle.

Send a message to learn more

08/14/2024

I'm late posting this, but Laser Queen is back. Great tunes for the whole family.

https://www.triton.edu/campus/cernan-center/

08/14/2024

Back to School advice from the astronauts.

Astronauts share a few tips for students as they head back into the classroom.We’re launching STEM Engagement to new heights with learning resources that con...

08/06/2024

A very philosophical Mountain Caracara bird is checking himself out near the ALMA Observatory array of antennas on the Chajnantor Plateau, Chile 🪞🐦‍⬛

We like to believe that he's looking at the 66 radio antennas that ALMA uses to probe the clouds of cool gas and dust throughout the cosmos, and thinking about the galaxies that are born in them at the farthest edges of the observable Universe...

But probably, he's just thinking about worms 😄

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2432a/

📷 Sergio Otarola Photography /ESO

06/28/2024

TONGA AND SPACEX ARE MESSING WITH THE MESOSPHERE: Sky watchers in Europe are reporting intense displays of noctilucent clouds. To say this is a surprise would be an understatement. Solar Max has arrived, and solar activity should be melting the clouds away. Water v***r injected into the mesosphere by the Tonga volcano and SpaceX rockets could be upending normal trends in noctilucent cloud formation. Full story @

Sunspot number: 141 What is the sunspot number? Updated 25 Jun 2024 Spotless Days Current Stretch: 0 days 2024 total: 0 days (0%) 2023 total: 0 days (0%) 2022 total: 1 day (

06/26/2024

Starting Saturday, July 6 at 8:30 pm and running every Saturday during the month, the featured Cosmic Light Show is Laser David Bowie.

Laser Bowie celebrates the musical legacy of the enigmatic chameleon of music David Bowie.

Enjoy the glam and spectacle of lasers, thousands of stars and digital effects dancing along with the music of one of the most influential artists in music.

Win free tickets by listening to WRRG Mondays 10-Noon and Thursdays 1-3pm. Go to tunein.com or radio.net and search WRRG to listen online.

06/26/2024

The next general meeting and lecture of the Chicago Astronomical Society (CAS) will be on Saturday, June, 29 2024 at the Cernan Earth and Space Center.

Please note! - This meeting has a different schedule than previous meetings

3:30 PM-- If the weather permits there will be telescope viewing of the sun in white light and in the monochromatic light of Hydrogen Alpha that shows the sun’s chromosphere. If the weather is cloudy or rainy and telescope viewing of the sun is not possible, then please arrive just before 5:15 PM for pizza and soft drinks before the lecture.

5:15 PM -- Pizza and soft drinks.

5:30 PM—Elections and voting for CAS officers!

6:00 PM -- The LECTURE will begin.

Our speaker will be Bill Higgins and his lecture will be

Lucy's Tour of the Trojan Asteroids

Lecture synopsis:
The two swarms of frigid Trojan asteroids, circling the Sun at the same distance as Jupiter, have never been visited by spacecraft. NASA's Lucy mission plans to change that. Launched in 2021, Lucy's intricate trajectory will eventually fly by eleven asteroids, including eight Trojans of varying size and composition far beyond the main Asteroid Belt. Some are leading, far ahead of Jupiter in its travels, some are trailing, far behind. Their peculiar orbits suggest they evolved differently from other asteroids. The Trojans may be a new kind of witness to the history of our Solar System. Passing through the Asteroid Belt on her way to the distant realm of the Trojans, Lucy's first flyby occurred in November. Images of tiny Dinkinesh surprised the Lucy team—and if all goes well, the best is yet to come.

Our speaker Bill Higgins has recently retired from Fermilab after a lifelong career in science and physics. He has a deep interest in astronomy and space exploration. He frequently speaks about spaceflight, astronomy, and the history of science and technology. He was a as a radiation safety physicist at Fermilab. He is an active volunteer in NASA's Solar System Ambassador outreach program.

At our June meeting the Chicago Astronomical Society will hold elections for its officers. If you value the CAS and its efforts of science education/outreach please consider placing your name as a candidate.

Also, if you enjoy the activities of the CAS please become a member. Regular membership is only $30 a year.
We hope that you can attend. Please feel free to forward and invite friends!

https://www.gadboisproductions.com/cas/

06/06/2024

Amazing launch and 'landings' of Starship today. SpaceX does a good job scripting, choreographing, and executing their livecasts. There is plenty of good information, clear explanation, and fun facts throughout. And there are some incredible views from the booster and spacecraft. Well worth the watch.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?536202-1/spacex-starship-flight-test-launch

Send a message to learn more

05/31/2024

World War II began in 1939. June 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day. This month's planetarium program, World 2 War combines fulldome, cinematic battle scenes with informative overviews and historic imagery.

Read more about this dramatic program and the important role astronomy played in the planning and success of D-Day on page 6 of the 5th Avenue Journal. https://www.flipsnack.com/TritonCollege/5th-avenue-journal-march-2024/full-view.html?utm_source=5AJ&utm_medium=Online&utm_campaign=Spring+(second+edition)&utm_term=2024

World 2 War sets the stage for the conflict and puts the audience in the middle of World War II’s most crucial events!

05/31/2024

Go gaga for Lady Gaga as brilliant laser light and visual effects perform to some of her hottest hits: from Bad Romance to Born This Way and from Paparazzi to Poker Face.

Coming in July, Laser Bowie and later this year Mchael Jackson and Prince!

05/29/2024

The large sunspot group whose tremendous eruptions caused the aurora to be visible from May 10-12, has rotated all the way around behind the Sun and reappeared on the opposite edge. It looks different than it was, but is still quite active. Could we get another amazing solar storm? Keep watching https://spaceweather.com/ for updates.

Sunspot number: 148 What is the sunspot number? Updated 27 May 2024 Spotless Days Current Stretch: 0 days 2024 total: 0 days (0%) 2023 total: 0 days (0%) 2022 total: 1 day (

05/24/2024

This Saturday evening, May 25, 2024.

Celebrate the timeless tunes of the Fab Four in this anthology featuring 17 favorites ranging from Octopus’s Garden to Lucy in the Sky, from Yesterday to The End and everything in between..

https://www.triton.edu/campus/cernan-center/cosmic-light-shows/

June's Cosmic Light Show will be Laser Gaga.

05/24/2024

ROCKS AND SOIL ELECTRIFIED BY THE SUPERSTORM

Across the USA on May 10th and 11th, sky watchers marveled at bright displays of aurora borealis during the biggest geomagnetic storm in decades. Little did they know, something was also happening underfoot.

Strong electrical currents were surging through rocks and soil. The biggest voltages along the US eastern seaboard and in the Midwest were as much as 10,000 times normal. A map from NOAA and the US Geological Survey shows some of the 'hot spots' during the early hours of May 11th:

Sunspot number: 208 What is the sunspot number? Updated 17 May 2024 Spotless Days Current Stretch: 0 days 2024 total: 0 days (0%) 2023 total: 0 days (0%) 2022 total: 1 day (

05/24/2024

Yay Voyager!

We have science data!

On May 19, mission scientists resumed receiving data from two of the four science instruments aboard our 46-year-old spacecraft.

Next up: Recalibrating the two remaining instruments, which could take weeks. https://go.nasa.gov/3UUhI9v

05/24/2024

The once in a lifetime solar storm event was two weeks ago, but you can relive it and marvel at spectacular displays from around the world here.

05/18/2024

This is an excellent program about the mental, social, and psychological challenges of long duration spaceflight.

https://www.pbs.org/video/the-longest-goodbye-ftblzw/

05/13/2024

Not expecting any aurora tonight, but the peak of the 11 year solar sunspot cycle is not expected until 2025. Bookmark it for future reference.

Aurora Dashboard Information When and where can you see the northern and southern lights also known as the aurora? This page provides a prediction of the aurora’s visibility tonight and tomorrow night in the charts below. The animations further down show what the aurora’s been up to over the las...

05/12/2024

Not looking great for aurora tonight, May 11. Some predictions suggest there could be a chance before dawn May 12 from Chicago, but it's slim. There were additional CMEs which should reach Earth midday May 12 meaning Sunday night offers another possibility to see the northern lights, if the sky where you are is clear.

Severe and Extreme (G4-G5) Geomagnetic Storms Likely on 12 May 2024 published: Saturday, May 11, 2024 17:54 UTC Another series of CMEs associated with flare activity from Region 3664 over the past several days are expected to merge and arrive at Earth by midday (UTC) on 12 May. Periods of G4-G5 (Sev...

05/10/2024

During this season in the northern hemisphere, we are enjoying longer days and shorter nights. Some places at high northern latitudes, such as Utqiagvik, Alaska (formerly known as Barrow), are experiencing 24 hours of daylight. They will not see the aurora at all this time.

https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/auroral-activity/webcams.html

The best place to witness this particular aurora display is from the southern hemisphere where they are currently enjoying shorter days and longer nights. If you can't be there in person, the next best thing is the check out one of the webcams in New Zealand or Australia.

The live webcams in Australia are 15 hours ahead of us in Chicago while New Zealand is 17 hours ahead. Check them out. Quick calculation looks like you can watch the Australia/Tasmania cams from 4 am to 1 pm CDT and New Zealand cam from 6 am to 3 pm tomorrow, Saturday.

Real-Time solar activity and auroral activity data website

05/10/2024

People are asking where and when to try and observe this event.

The peak of aurora activity is expected to be between 10 pm and 3:30 am CDT as seen from Chicago. That's roughly two hours after sunset and two hours before sunrise.

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/ =4.26&lat=41.7567&lon=-89.8213&state=eyJiYXNlbWFwIjoiTGF5ZXJCaW5nUm9hZCIsIm92ZXJsYXkiOiJ3YV8yMDE1Iiwib3ZlcmxheWNvbG9yIjpmYWxzZSwib3ZlcmxheW9wYWNpdHkiOjYwLCJmZWF0dXJlc29wYWNpdHkiOjg1fQ==
The big challenge locally is getting away from all the light pollution. As you can see from this light pollution map, you have to travel some distance north and/or west of Chicago to find a location with a darker sky.

From our latitude, the northern lights could appear as a wavering red glow just above the northern horizon. Unfortunately, the people in Aurora, IL, will likely have difficulty seeing anything because of the amount of light in their area.

Interactive world light pollution map. The map uses NASA VIIRS, World Atlas 2015, Aurora prediction, observatories, clouds and SQM/SQC overlay contributed by users.

05/10/2024

Will we see a spectacular aurora from Chicago tonight?

The huge geomagnetic storm currently impacting the Earth and spreading throughout the media has the potential to cause the northern lights to be visible as far south as Alabama. Of course, you need clear dark skies (facing north) to have a chance of seeing the display, if it occurs.

A great source of information is the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/severe-geomagnetic-storming-likely-continue
There you will find simple and detailed explanations, images and animations, and regular updates.

Severe Geomagnetic Storming Likely to Continue published: Friday, May 10, 2024 19:02 UTC A Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm is still likely this weekend.

04/10/2024

Photo was taken at the Poplar Bluff Airport by an amateur photographer. A skydiver photobombed him in an unbelievable way. This is the coolest photo of the eclipse I’ve seen so far!

04/07/2024

Even with all the science and preparation, even Tom Skilling was moved to tears…

The terrifying beauty of totality is best confronted in a crowd.

04/02/2024

Yes, we still have eclipse glasses. Come and get 'em! Just $1.80 per pair or $4.50 for the silly cowboy, alien, or astronaut glasses. Our Star Store is open till 430 this afternoon and 630-930 Saturday evening.

04/02/2024

Weather for the eclipse is still uncertain. But with Tom Skilling on the job...

“THE APRIL 8th SOLAR ECLIPSE APPROACHES: Is this exciting or what?! I’ll be joining the WGN-TV eclipse live coverage a week from today on Monday, April 8th from 1pm to 2:30pm and am really lo…

03/29/2024

No matter the language, a solar eclipse is one of Nature's greatest spectacles. Thank you to the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for this video.

03/28/2024

Looking for something to do on Friday afternoon during spring break. There will be planetarium shows here: ECLIPSE, the Sun Revealed at 130 pm followed by Laser Taylor Swift at 3 pm. Get all the details at

Explore the wonders of the universe and the latest discoveries in astronomy, space exploration, and geoscience at the Cernan Earth and Space Center, a unique sp

03/28/2024

Get your eclipse glasses in our Star Store. They'll look cool in an Easter basket. The BIG day is April 8, just around the corner.

The Star Store is open today till 430 pm; Friday, March 29 from 1 to 430 pm; Saturday, March 30 from 630 to 930 pm; and next week, April 1 through 5 from 930 am to 430 pm. Bulk discounts are available. Bring a copy of your tax exempt form to save on the tax. Email [email protected] if you have questions.

03/18/2024

An update on : The team sent a "poke" to prompt V1's flight data system (FDS) and saw activity that differed from past attempts. A DSN engineer helped decode the data in the signal, which may contain clues to the source of the issue. The team is devising a potential plan of action.

Remember: This will take time since the spacecraft, which launched in 1977, is currently more than 15 billion miles (24 billion km) from Earth!

Keep up with the latest here: https://go.nasa.gov/3RihsPR