Presentation on November 6, 2026 8:00 pm PST in the CSM Planetarium Speaker: Dr. Phil Marshall Stanford/SLAC Welcome to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Free and open to the public. Free parking in nearby lots. Details at bottom of page. A couple of decades in the making, the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Rubin) is the world’s […]
Category: Newsletter
Meet Draco: DWARFLAB’s Ambitious New Smart Telescope
Recently the Dwarf Labs sent us detailed information about Draco, their new larger smart telescope
Speaker: Dr. Andrew Rasmussen
Presentation on September 4, 2026 8:00 pm PST in the CSM Planetarium Speaker: Dr. Andrew Rasmussen, SLAC/Stanford, Staff Scientist, Fundamental Physics Directorate First Look with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory – with the World’s Largest Camera – for the Legacy Survey of Space and Time Free and open to the public. Free parking in nearby […]
The Lunar Eclipse at Crestview
By Joe Little A few of us (I recognized Stephen, Andy, and Julian) as well as others including some family attempted to view the lunar eclipse up at Crestview Park. From moonrise and up to basically the point of maximum eclipse, the moon was hidden behind a large blanket of clouds. Right around 9:10 p.m. […]
Another Fruitful StarBQue and This Year’s Board Members
The annual StarBQue took place on July 18 at Crestview Park, San Carlos, continuing one of SMCAS’s favorite summer traditions as a relaxed, family-friendly evening for members to gather, share food, and enjoy time together under the sky. Online voting for the 2026–27 officers and at-large directors closed during the StarBQue, and the new Board […]
Under One Bleeding Moon: A Thousand Stories from the Shadow
By Sanah Ayyar A lunar eclipse is one of the few geographically indifferent, cosmic spectacles. It does not play favorites and unfolds over the entire night side of the planet at once, no passport required. To the modern us, a lunar eclipse is a spectacular astronomical event caused by Earth passing between the Sun and […]
Back Under the Stars
Greetings to the Society, After our summer break, SMCAS is getting ready to return to a busy fall schedule. September and October bring back our regular meetings, public outreach events, star parties, and plenty of reasons to look up. The nights are getting longer, the weather is hopefully becoming a little more cooperative, and our […]
CSM’s Annual Family Science Day
Download the schedule of events.
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 […]
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 […]