SaddleBrooke SkyGazers guest speaker coming February 10
Teresa Greenberg
On Sunday, February 10, 2019, Dr. Kristopher Klein will be in SaddleBrooke to speak to us about the research done at the University of Arizona on the sun, its effects on the solar system and NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission. The presentation will be held in the SaddleBrooke One Activity Center at 7:00 p.m.
Dr. Klein is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Planetary Sciences and at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. He received a BA in Physics and Mathematics from Luther College in 2008 and his PhD in 2013 from the University of Iowa. From 2014 to 2016, he worked at the University of New Hampshire as a National Science Foundation Atmospheric and Geospace Science Postdoctoral Research Fellow studying the dissipation of plasma turbulence and preparing predictions for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission. In 2016, he joined the SWEAP science team on PSP at the University of Michigan and continues as a member of that team after starting his current position at the University of Arizona in fall 2018.
Launched in August of 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) will provide, for the first time, local observations of the near-sun environment. Over its seven-year mission, PSP will orbit the sun at increasingly close distances, less than four million miles from the sun’s surface, seven times closer than any previous mission. With the first close approach having occurred in early November, they are just starting to analyze the first tantalizing set of data from this region. Dr. Klein will discuss how these measurements are being made, what theories are being tested and what benefits better understanding the sun’s behavior will bring to society.
In addition to our monthly presentations, viewings of the night skies are held in the SaddleBrooke softball field parking lot. The next viewing will be held on February 6, 2019 at 6:45 p.m. and all residents of SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch are invited to attend. When arriving or leaving the sky viewings, please use parking lights in the parking lot and, when walking, please use a red flashlight to minimize distractions for those viewing through telescopes and binoculars.
To learn more about our group, visit our public website: https://sites.google.com/view/sbskygazers.home. To learn the benefits of being a supporting member, please contact Sam Miller at [email protected]. To become a member, send a $10 check (per individual) payable to SkyGazers and mail to Sam Miller at 62930 E. Silkwood Way, Tucson, AZ 85739. Also, along with your check, please include your address, phone number and email address.