Sam Miller
The SaddleBrooke Skygazers Astronomy Club is pleased to host Dr. David Iadevaia, a professor of astronomy and physics at Pima College, on Sunday, Feb. 18, at the DesertView Performing Arts Center, 39900 S. Clubhouse Drive, at 7 p.m. In this talk, Professor Iadevaia will discuss slitless spectroscopy and how to collect useful astronomical spectra with simple and relatively inexpensive equipment. Spectroscopy is the backbone of astronomical research, and an understanding of it is important for anyone who is interested in how we know what we know about stars and galaxies.
Professor Iadevaia has more than 35 years of experience teaching the physical sciences, from middle school to university levels, and is an award-winning (Tucson Trade Bureau 1984) professor of astronomy and physics. He specializes in astronomical instrumentation and has done research in archeoastronomy. He is a teacher at heart, using traditional as well as nontraditional instructional techniques. He designed the first online astronomy course complete with online telescopic viewing. His experiences span academia, as well as industry, where he worked with underwater sonar systems as an electronic engineering technician. Dr. Iadevaia has conducted eclipse trips to places as varied as Peru, India, and Antigua. His research in archeoastronomy has brought him to South America, Mexico, and the American Southwest.
The SaddleBrooke Skygazers Astronomy Club meets monthly (and typically) on the second (third this February) Sunday evening at 7 p.m. at the DesertView Performing Arts Center. The next Star Parties are on Wednesday, March 13, and Thursday, April 11, at the softball field parking lot from 7:15 to 9 p.m. The public is welcome to both. Club and Star Party information can be obtained by emailing Sam Miller at [email protected].