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  • August NOVAC Meeting – Radio Astronomy: The “Longest” View

    Join NOVAC at 7:30pm on Sunday, August 9 for our monthly meeting which will be held online. Location: Online https://meet.google.com/qhc-acci-ceu Speaker: Dr. Joe Pesce Title: Radio Astronomy: The “Longest” View In this talk we will explore the field of Radio Astronomy, with a discussion of what it is, how radio observations are made, and what they can tell us about astronomical sources. We will then survey some of the most recent findings in Radio Astronomy. Joe Pesce is an astrophysicist Read more […]

  • July 12 2020 at 7:30 – Remote Sensing and Spaceborn Planetary Observations

    Join NOVAC at 7:30pm on Sunday, July 12 for our monthly meeting which will be held online. Location: Online https://meet.google.com/qns-wmyk-tbo Speaker: Dr. Dennis Reuter Using spaceborne systems to carry out observations of atmospheric and surface properties of the objects in our solar system (including the Earth) provides a wealth of information about the processes that are occurring now and those that have occurred in the past.  They are essential for everything from providing accurate Read more […]

  • The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover; A mission overview and an insider’s perspective

    Join us at 8:00pm online at https://meet.google.com/sio-kjec-kzi An overview of the Perseverance Rover’s mission objectives and lifecycle from inception to operation will be presented followed by a discussion of a summer engineering intern’s firsthand experience working with the Perseverance Rover’s team. The presentation will be hosted by Evan Kramer, a spring 2020 graduate from the University of Maryland’s Department of Aerospace Engineering, a NASA/JPL summer 2019 engineering intern Read more […]

  • June 14, 2020 at 7:30 – The Hubble Space Telescope:  30 Years of Cosmic Discovery

    Join NOVAC at 7:30 on June 14 for our monthly meeting, which will be held online: Location: Online https://meet.google.com/bpz-ugtk-yqu Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Wiseman This year, we are celebrating Hubble’s 30th anniversary!  Five astronaut servicing missions and phenomenal teams of experts on the ground have kept this facility at the frontier of cosmic discoveries.  In honor of this milestone anniversary, I will present the highlights of Hubble’s incredible historical achievements, Read more […]

  • In-Person Events Cancelled Through May 10, 2020

    Today the CDC updated their guidance to recommend that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States. To comply with this recommendation, NOVAC will take the following actions to modify our plans through May 10, 2020: We will not hold in-person monthly meetings for April or May. We have been testing solutions that would allow us to still gather online and see & hear our Read more […]

  • Cancelled – Astronomy Day! April 25, 2020

    In accordance with CDC recommendations, NOVAC is cancelling in-person events through May 10, 2020.  We will make every attempt to reschedule Astronomy Day later in the year so we can enjoy the wisdom of our speakers and the beautiful observing the the field at C.M. Crockett Park affords us.

  • The 37th Annual NOVAC Star Gaze: Saturday, October 5th

    The 37th Annual NOVAC Star Gaze: Saturday, October 5th

    Join the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club for Star Gaze at C.M. Crockett Park on October 5th, 2019 from 3 pm to 11 pm! You don’t need any astronomy experience or equipment at all to enjoy Star Gaze. Enjoy the wonderful views of the landscape and night sky from one of our local dark sky sites. The program features solar observing through safe filters; telescopes to learn about and look through when the stars come out; and presentations about astronomy, space exploration, and the night sky. Head Read more […]
  • M87 black hole

    M87 black hole

    Tom Finkenbinder provided this information to go along the feature image and the Skynet and multi-messenger Astronomy slide presentation: Shortly before the presentation I made at AHSP 2018 at Spruce Knob last Fall, I asked for ideas from the Skynet team at UNC about the radio astronomy features they added to the network with the refurbished 20 meter radio telescope at NRAO Greenbank.  They encouraged me to have a look at M87, the data products are accessible through this link.  Ignore Read more […]
  • Lunar Eclipse Photography

    Lunar Eclipse Photography

    Here’s a great presentation that our member Dan Ward has updated for the upcoming lunar eclipse.

  • NOVAC 2019 Election Results

    NOVAC 2019 Election Results

    On Sunday those present at the general meeting elected 2019’s club officers: President: Chris Kagy Vice President: Alan Goldberg Treasurer: Paul Derby Secretary: John McDonnell Trustee: George Doschek (2 yr term) Trustee: Paul Severance (2 yr term) Trustee: Arlen Raasch (2 yr term) The term office will begin on January 1, 2019. The next general meeting is scheduled for January 13, in Room 163 of Research Hall on the campus of George Mason University. The year-end Read more […]