Star Party is back!!
Fall Star Party, October 29, 2021, 7pm - 9:30pm
Join us at our new Science Center in the Upper Plaza/Amphitheater!!
This event will be held outdoors, in our new and beautiful Science Center Plaza!!
Guest speaker Camilo Mejia Prada, Ph.D, Manager of the High Contrast Imaging Facility
at NASA JPL, will discuss "NASA's Search for Planets, Habitability and Life in our
Galaxy." Attendees will be able to explore skies through high-powered telecopes,
hear from our students and the COC Aerospace and Sciences Team. It will be an educational
and enjoyable evening for all!!
Fall '21 Star Party Program
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Missed our Spring’21 Virtual Star Party? Watch it now: Spring ’21, Virtual Star Party
On Friday, April 23rd, over 150 students, faculty, staff and community members were treated to our 22nd Star Party, or second in a virtual format. Our guest speaker, Jennifer Harris Trosper, Mars 2020 Deputy Project Manager, presented a mission update on the Mars Perseverance rover currently exploring Mars, which covered live videos from the command center and some dynamic shots of the Mars rover Ingenuity helicopter! Next, with the assistance of Dave Flynn, member of the Local Group Astronomy Club of Santa Clarita Valley, attendees were able to see a number of constellations in the skies through a virtual presentation, sharing tips and ideas on becoming an amateur astronomer. The evening continued from our COC faculty members, Dr. Christine Hirst Bernhardt and Dr. Peregrine McGehee, who presented “Adventures in 21th Century Observational Astronomy – How We Managed Labs During the Time of COVID-19, which included the latest technology being used to run labs during COVID-19. The evening was capped with a project update and inspirational testimonials by our Aerospace & Sciences Team students, including their interaction and experience with NASA-led projects! It was an educational and enjoyable evening for all!!
Missed our Fall '20 Virtual Star Party? Watch it now: Fall '20, Virtual Start Party
On Friday, October 23rd, well over 150 students, faculty, staff and community members
were treated to our first ever Virtual Star Party. Our guest speaker, NASA’s Dr. Padi
Boyd, presented “Beyond the Night Sky – The Once Invisible Universe”, which covered
far away galaxies, stellar nurseries, and some dynamic shots and videos of space! Next,
with the assistance of The Local Group Astronomy Club of Santa Clarita Valley, attendees
were able to view the skies through virtual presentations lead by Dave Flynn, Glenn
Basore and Don Cogan, amongst others, and learn about the use of various telescopes. The
evening was capped by demos and inspirational testimonials by our Astronomy Physics
Club students, MESA/Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers students, and NASAA
HASP/RockSatX!! It was an educational and enjoyable evening for all!!
