MIRA Astronomy Club Quarterly Meeting

Gather with other club members to get updates on upcoming events, be entertained by (and learn something from) our guest presenter, and learn of tools and resources available to club members.  And, of course, (re)connect with old and new friends.

Meeting agenda:

Announcements

New members
Upcoming club events
Available club resources

Featured Presentation

"New Views of the Universe with JWST"
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was launched in December 2021 and became fully operational six months later. Since then, this exceptional space-based infrared telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos, providing new views of small and large objects in our Solar System, probing the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars, dissecting the structures and histories of our nearest galactic neighbors, and discovering the first stellar light to emerge in our Universe. Professor and astrophysicist Adam Burgasser from UC San Diego will share and explain some of the highlights of this incredible new facility from its first three years of operation.  This presentation will be delivered remotely, via video conference.

(short break)

Additional Topics

Club member volunteer opportunities
Club governance
Club expenses and funding
Additional resources available to club members and Friends of MIRA
Club members' astrophotos
Fan mail!

Q&A

Adjournment

About our Featured Presenter

Professor Adam Burgasser is an observational astrophysicist and faculty in UC San Diego's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, where he directs the Cool Star Lab. Prof. Burgasser studies the coldest stars, brown dwarfs, and extrasolar planets using ground-based and space-based telescopes, including JWST, and has contributed to the discovery of dozens of new worlds including the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system and the coldest brown dwarfs. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Prof. Burgasser earned his PhD in Physics at Caltech, was a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA and the American Museum of Natural History, and was a faculty member at MIT before returning to his undergraduate alma mater UC San Diego. He has also been a Fulbright Scholar, served as Vice President of the American Astronomical Society, and has won several awards for his work in teaching and equity, diversity and inclusion.