The Board is pleasantly surprised to see how busy the Star Parties have been and to see our membership grow. We are very excited to announce that we’re one member away to having 70 people! In other words, we have 69 members. It’s the most members the Society has ever had. It was very apparent […]
It’s time to say goodbye. I will be leaving the SMCAS Board of Directors at the end of May. My wife and I are taking our first step towards retirement and moving to Genoa, Nevada. It was a tough decision to leave the Bay Area, but the spreadsheet said I would have to work a […]
The San Mateo County Astronomical Society will forgo its usual general meeting and presentation for the month of April to support a special event at the College of San Mateo Friday, April 18. The event, “Art, Science & Visual Metaphors,” will be held at the CSM Theatre (Building 3) on the College of San Mateo’s […]
In early March, the LSST camera was installed in the Vera Rubin Observatory on a Chilean mountaintop! SMCAS has been following the development of the LSST for many years in our monthly presentations, field trips, news updates, Event Horizon articles, and even our YouTube channel! “The world’s largest digital camera made in the Bay […]
The Society invites all enthusiasts, families, and curious minds to our special Moon Viewing Star Party, Saturday, April 5, 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm. This event promises a night filled with wonder, education, and community spirit. The moon, our closest celestial body, has always captivated humanity’s imagination. From ancient myths to modern science, it has […]
May 2, 7:30 pm PDT Program Starts in the CSM Planetarium with the Michael Chriss Scholarship Award Winner talks, followed at 8:00 pm by Dr Pascal Lee (details below) 8:00 PM Speaker: Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist SETI Institute, Mars Institute, and NASA Ames Research Center The Moon & Mars: Amazing Places for Humans to […]
Presentation on March 7, 8:00pm PST in the CSM Planetarium Speaker: Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist SETI Institute, Mars Institute, and NASA Ames Research Center The Moon & Mars: Amazing Places for Humans to Soon Explore, Part 1: the Moon! Free and open to the public. At the College of San Mateo Planetarium. Free Parking […]
A heads up from Ed Ching For those who have been following the saga of the Optronic Techonologies, Inc., business, parent of both Orion Telescopes and Meade Instruments, the offices and storefront in Watsonville, California were shut down in July 2024. On July 31, the Orion website went offline. Apparently the assets of […]
San Mateo County Fire Department employees from left to right are Firefighter Matt Hoffmann, Engineer John Hollander, Fire Capt. Jordan Motts and Fire Capt. Chris Schaefer. If you’ve been keeping up on our newsletter, you might recall we had an unusually exciting Star Party July 3. The San Mateo County Fire Department came out to Crestview […]
Mark your calendars for an evening of fun, food, and fellowship at the San Mateo County Astronomical Society’s annual holiday party! 📅 Date: Thursday, January 18, 2018 ⏰ Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 📍 Location: Crystal Springs United Methodist Church 2145 Bunker Hill Dr, San Mateo, CA 94402 This year’s celebration is a potluck! […]
