Event Horizon
Our Newsletter, Event Horizon, is a newsletter that is published by the San Mateo County Astronomical Society. It has been in continuous publication since 1960.

July & August

Prez’s Corner

  • Summer Skies, Star-B-Q, and New Toys

    Summer Skies, Star-B-Q, and New Toys

    Greetings to the Society, Summer has arrived, and this year it begins with an especially historic celebration: the 250th birthday of the United States. As fireworks light up the July skies, it is hard not to think about all the generations who have looked upward before us—whether for navigation, inspiration, discovery, or simply the joy…

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News

  • SMCAS Members: Don’t Forget to Vote – Voting Closes July 18

    SMCAS Members: Don’t Forget to Vote – Voting Closes July 18

    Online voting for the San Mateo County Astronomical Society’s Officers and At-large Directors for the 2026-27 term of office is now open. The nomination for the Society’s Board are: OfficersMichael Cooke – PresidentJason Zaman – Vice PresidentMarion Weiler – Co-SecretaryMichelle Morales-Torres – Co-SecretaryAndy Thanos – Treasurer At-large DirectorsKimberly AlgerChanan GreenbergStephen KwongJulian SalkinKevin Simpson Voting ends…

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  • Don’t Forget to RSVP for SMCAS’s Annual StarBQ July 18

    Don’t Forget to RSVP for SMCAS’s Annual StarBQ July 18

    Our annual family-friendly event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Society’s designated park, Crestview Park, 1000 Crestview Drive, San Carlos. Please RSVP here to let the Board know how many people will be in your party. We want to be sure enough food is purchased everyone. Then, feel free to arrive and leave at…

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  • Volunteer at Gamble Garden– July 11

    Volunteer at Gamble Garden– July 11

    The Society annually supports the Gamble Garden’s Second Saturday event with solar activities. Come volunteer for a rare daytime event, Saturday, July 11, at the historic Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto. Volunteers are needed at 9:45 a.m. to man the membership table or to share our solar system model. The event runs from…

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  • Volunteer at the Chabot Science Center August 1 or August 2

    Volunteer at the Chabot Science Center August 1 or August 2

    The Society has been invited to be a part of Space Week Festival at Chabot Space and Science Center on August 1 and August 2! It will be the culminating event for their Space Week. Volunteers will be needed to man our table from 9:30 am to 4 p.m. We understand that some might not…

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Feature

  • Are Type Ia Supernovae as “Standard” as We Thought?

    Are Type Ia Supernovae as “Standard” as We Thought?

    One of the great things about astronomy is that even our most trusted tools occasionally look back at us and say, “Are you sure about that?” This month’s example comes from one of the biggest ideas in modern cosmology: dark energy, the mysterious something-or-other that appears to be causing the expansion of the universe to…

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My Favorite Astronomer

  • Johannes Kepler

    By Mira Krishnan When discussing the giants of space science, names like Galileo or Isaac Newton usually dominate the conversation. However, if you look closer at the history of astronomy, I believe the most compelling story belongs to the 17th-century German astronomer Johannes Kepler. Facing severe physical disabilities, family chaos, and a scientific community that…

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