Field Trip to CSM Planetarium:

Date: Friday, October 17, 2008

6:30pm: Networking/Pizza Social in room 110 in ISC building 36
7:00pm sharp: Planetarium show
(Please arrive 20 min. early to allow time to sign in and get a seat.)
8:30pm: Rooftop observing and CCD astrophotographic imaging
9:30pm: End

Location: College of San Mateo (Campus Map), 1700 West Hillsdale Boulevard, San Mateo, CA 94402 (Google Map).

Please follow the directions and park in Lot 7. Parking is free. The sign-ins and the pizza social will be in room 110 in nearby building 36. You will need to get your name tag with the priority number to get into the planetarium show and the observatory.

A nominal $10 fee in cash will be collected on-site at the sign-in desk for each attendee who has registered (free for K-12 students).

CSM observing events are always popular and usually filled to capacity. We expect the event to sell out, so registration is limited to the first 95 people to sign up. It will be open to IEEE members and their guests only until 1 week prior to the event. K-12 students are welcome to attend the event but children younger than K-12 age may not enjoy such an event and therefore are not encouraged to be brought in. NO WALK-INS ALLOWED - YOU MUST RESERVE YOUR PLACE IN ADVANCE.

Title

Planetarium show and observing party at College of San Mateo

Abstract

Professor Darryl Stanford will show a night sky show in the nearby Planetarium. This will include stars and planets, with discussion of the deep sky objects, followed by an all dome video called "Black Holes". CSM has established America's first HYBRID planetarium and the world's first CHRONOS HYBRID planetarium in their 40 foot planetarium dome. The system consists of the GOTO CHRONOS opto-mechanical space simulator from GOTO Optical Mfg. Co.(Japan) and the Digistar 3 SP2 HD projector from Evans & Sutherland.

The CHRONOS will show over 8000 stars to about 6th magnitude, 26 deep sky objects and the Milky Way! The D3 projectors, in conjunction with Spitz ATM4, will present all-dome, surround IMAX-like sound videos, intimate planet fly-bys and Messier objects. There will also be a short Power Point presentation on CCD astrophotography and the use of CCDStack software to produce sharp images from a series of short exposures, needed to overcome light pollution in an urban environment, and enhance faint detail.

Following the planetarium show, we'll go up to the observatory (weather permitting), for some live digital CCD imaging through the 20" RCOS telescope, as well as some observing through CSM's 140mm refracting telescope.