Star Party

Fall 2026 Star Party & Science Showcase was out of this world!  

On Friday, October 16th, students, faculty, staff and community members were treated to our 33rd Star Party and Science Showcase! The event was held at our beautiful Canyon Country Campus, in the outdoor Lower Plaza, and the Takeda Science Center Lobby, and attracted more than 300 people. The event started at 6:00pm and ran until close to 9:30pm.

The evening kicked off with science-themed presentations by our own COC students and guests, followed by our special guest speaker, Dave Margrave, RS-25 Engine Program Chief Engineer, L3Harris Technologies.  Dave presented "Artemis II and The Core Stage Rocket Engine" and his intriguing topic raised some fun Q&A’s and audience engagement.

Throughout the evening, our guests enjoyed the new “Solar System Experience", an outer space immersive room adventure, and explored our interactive demonstration tables, presented by a number of groups including the Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society, Astronomy & Physics Club, the Biological & Environmental Sciences Department, the Early Childhood Education Children’s Center, Library, MESA/MESA LAB-Math, Pre-Health Club, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Teachers of Tomorrow, and Logix, our Star Party Sponsor!! The Associated Student Government (ASG) was also on hand with free snacks and lots of energy!

At least half a dozen telescopes were on display, as local community astronomy clubs braved the wind and educated the crowds.  It was an educational and enjoyable evening for all! 

Our sincere THANKS to all who made this Star Party possible!!