Ben Burress, Astronomer from Chabot Space And Science Center
Drakes Jolly Rodger Imperial Red Ale: http://bit.ly/2D2oy6Y
Intro
- Current role at Chabot Space and Science Center
- Involved with exhibits and shows, media
Beer
- Drakes Jolly Rodger
- Live near Drakes Brewery
Getting Started
- Always had an interest in space, Apollo Landings very influential
- Growing up near the old Chabot Space and Science Center
- Went to Sonoma State, Did time in the Peace Corps in Cameroon after
Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) with NASA
- Telescope built into a Starlifter C-131 Cargo Plane
- Flies at 41,000 feet
- Airborne vs ground based telescopes
- Hubble Telescope- future and replacement James Webb Telescope
Earth Satellites
- First images of black holes
- Gravity ripples
- Big Bang Afterglows
Chabot Space and Science Center
- Features 3 telescopes: Leah, Nellie and Rachel
- Leah is the oldest, 8 inch lense
- Nellie built in 2003, 60 inch mirror lens, short for Cornelia
- Rachel 20 inch lens
- Public viewings Friday and Saturdays
- Possible second moon around Earth?
Exhibits
- 3 main halls- Destination Universe, Beyond Blat-off and Pieces of the Moon
- All interactive
- Experience Space Capsules, real moon rocks
- Observatory Deck
- Solar Eclipse viewing had cloud cover
- Past exhibits- Dragon Skies (Chinese Astronomy)
- Moon formation theories
Europa Missions- Oceans under the ice?
- Jupiter's gravitational effect on Europa
- Liquid water on Europa
Other projects
- Cassini Missions
- Mars, manned missions, colonization
- Kepler planetary discoveries, Trappist 1 Planets
Aliens
- Is there life out there
- Most likely forms of life
- SETI looking for signals from intelligent life
- Faster than light travel
Star Trek vs. Star Wars
- More interest in Star Trek early on
- Science Fiction vs. Reality
- Teleportation
- Kessel Run Science
Chabot Space and Science Info/ Wrap up
