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Fast&Far

Fast & Faraway – Nov 28

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In astronomy, the redder a galaxy appears, the faster it is fleeing, and the older a tale its light can tell. Such “redshifts” in the spectra of galaxies (symbolized with the letter “z”) allow compelling cosmic insights. The recently-launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has allowed astronomers to study the properties of high-z galaxies in existence only 250 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was only 2% of its current age! How are these objects detected in such very “deep” space, and what are the early science results from this JWST research?

Our speaker is Dr. Thomas Targett, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy at the Sonoma campus of California State University. Dr. Targett’s Wonderfest history includes an eye-opening talk entitled Popular Myths of Astronomy, presented as part of the Mt. Tam Astronomy Program.

 


Dr. Thomas Targett

WHAT: Fast & Faraway: The High-Redshift Universe
WHO: Dr. Thomas Targett, Assoc. Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Sonoma State University
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: 2023-11-28 — 7:00pm, Tuesday, Nov 28 (1.5 hour)
HOW:

This event is FREE and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have for YOU? Accordingly, please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite window, below.


ShareTheNightSky

Share the Night Sky – Oct 22

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Join San Francisco's "Urban Astronomer" Paul Salazar and KPOO's DJ Marilynn for a VIRTUAL guided tour of the glorious night sky.

Just find a dark, unobstructed view of the sky, and tune into KPOO-FM (89.5 MHz) or visit <https://kpoo.com/stream> with a smart phone. Then, look upward and let SF's Urban Astronomer guide you toward the setting Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn in the west, and then toward Mars, the Pleiades star cluster, and the Andromeda Galaxy in the east. (Folks stuck indoors or under clouds can participate "virtually" via a free astronomy app such as SkyView Lite.) Stargazing households congregating in backyards and socially-distanced strangers on sidewalks will feel united by the grandeur — and the wonder — of the night sky.


SF Urban Astronomer Paul Salazar w/ DJ Marilynn

WHAT: Share the Night Sky
WHO: SF Urban Astronomer Paul Salazar w/ DJ Marilynn [http://urbanastronomer.blogspot.com]
WHERE: KPOO-FM (89.5 MHz) [https://kpoo.com/stream]
WHEN: 2020-10-22 — 8pm PDT, Thu, Oct 22 (1 hr)
HOW:

From a dark location with a clear view of the sky, use a radio or Internet-ready phone to tune into the KPOO-FM broadcast (89.5 MHz) or live-stream (https://kpoo.com/stream).

This event is part of the Bay Area Science Festival. Big thanks to Andy Fraknoi, former Chair of the Foothill College Astronomy Department (and 1st recipient of Wonderfest's Sagan Prize!), for inspiration.


Collaborators:
Night Sky Network, administered by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific [https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov]
Mt Tam Astronomy Program [http://www.mttamastronomy.org]
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers [https://www.sfaa-astronomy.org]