First Friday: Far Out

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Friday, August 5
6 PM – 10 PM
$15 adults, $10 kids/seniors, $5 members

Look into deep space as we learn about NASA’s James Webb Telescope!

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is the most advanced and complex instrument ever in space. How does Webb compare with other space telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, and how will the mission extend our understanding of the Universe? Bring your curiosity for an evening of astronomical exploration.

First Fridays at Chabot Space & Science Center bring the Oakland community together to play and discover, highlight diverse voices in S.T.E.A.M. and inspire explorers of all ages. 

Chabot’s First Fridays open the doors for discovery with planetarium shows, telescope viewings and after-hours access to exhibits. Embedded in Redwood Regional Park, the Center is a space for our community to get together, learn, and explore in Oakland’s backyard. 

First Friday features a new theme supported by community partners, hands-on activities, workshops, performances, and speakers. With different opportunities every month, the possibilities are endless. 

First Fridays at Chabot take place on the first Friday of each month, from 6-10 p.m. Admission is $15 adults, $10 kids/seniors and $5 members. Our Café will be open for dinner and we will have beer and wine available for visitors 21+. 

 

Schedule

6–9 PM  Mobile Climate Science Lab, “Make Discoveries Doing Experiments Here on Earth in the Same Infrared Light as JWST Images”, Classroom 1&2

The Galaxy Explorers partner with Jim Callaghan and Climate Change.org on a suite of short-wave infrared mind-bending demonstrations which go beyond what the human eye can see. These experiences include experiments in reflection, refraction, diffraction, absorption, transmission and the relation of heat and light. Visitors will learn how matter and light interact at different wavelengths and in different ways and the connection to the JWST. 

Presented by Galaxy Explorers and Mobile Climate Science volunteers.  MCSL has shared interactive, engaging science labs at large public events in the Bay Area for two decades. 

6 – 9 PM NASA GeneLab, “Explore and Discover the Latest in Space Biology Research”, Studio 1

The main objective of Space Biology research is to build a better understanding of how spaceflight affects living systems in spacecraft such as the International Space Station (ISS), or in ground-based experiments that mimic aspects of spaceflight to prepare for future human exploration missions to the moon, and eventually Mars. The experiments conducted on the ground and board the ISS examine how plants, microbes, and animals adapt to living in space. Stop by and learn about the latest missions, experiments, and open science databases and how you too can help the NASA mission. 

NASA Ames’ GeneLab is an interactive, open-access resource where scientists can upload, download, store, search, share, transfer, and analyze omics data from spaceflight and corresponding analogue experiments.  

6 – 9 PM NASA Ames, “Exploring Infrared Light”, Studio 1

See the universe in a different light and without pressure, challenge your perception with a NASA spin. 

Jonas Dino serves as a Public Engagement and MUREP Support Specialist at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Dino has a bachelor’s in psychology, Teaching Credentials in life science, and a Masters in Instructional Technology from San Jose State University.  

Before joining NASA, he served in the United States Marine Corps, as a Science as Teacher and a School Board Trustee. Dino started his NASA career in 2000 as an intern and has served various roles in the Office of Communications and the Office of STEM Engagement. His past projects include Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Mission, the Educator Astronaut Program, the NASA Explorer Schools Program, NASA Space Days, and the INSPIRE High School Internship Program. Dino specializes in engaging and inspiring students in grades K-8. 

6– 9 P.M. Galaxy Explorers, Spectra Demonstrations, Classroom 2, Studio 3, Deck

Learn how astronomers determine what stars are made of using the spectrum of light produced by gases and how new insights may be gained by the James Webb Space Telescope.  

Meet up with the Galaxy Explorers for a series of spectra demonstrations throughout the Center. 

7 PM Alex Filippenko, “The First Exciting Results from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope”, Theater

The James Webb Space Telescope is now at its final destination one million miles from Earth. On July 11 and 12 its first full-color images were released and they are truly stunning! Learn from UC Berkeley Professor Alex Filippenko about what they reveal, and future studies that will be conducted with this amazing infrared-sensitive telescope! 

Alex Filippenko is a Richard & Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor in the Physical Sciences, and a Miller Senior Fellow in the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science (UC Berkeley). His accomplishments, documented in about 1000 research papers, have been recognized by several major prizes, including a share of both the Gruber Cosmology Prize (2007) and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2015). One of the world’s most highly cited astronomers, he is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences (2009) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2015), as well as an elected AAS Fellow (2021).

7:30 PM Franck Marchis, “Astronomy for All: Becoming a Citizen Astronomer”, Studio 3

Senior Astronomer Franck Marchis will present the Unistellar & SETI Institute network of small, portable, and easy to use telescopes, describing the potential of the telescope to conduct scientific investigations and help NASA and ESA. Using their Unistellar telescope, thousands of scientific data were collected in 2021. Today the network allows citizen astronomers to contribute meaningfully to astronomy by confirming the existence of exoplanets, measure the shape and size of distant asteroids, protecting the planet against asteroid impacts and finally monitoring the activity of recently discovered comets. The network is expanding with more users located in all continents around the world, as well with new scientific activities. Learn how you can meaningfully contribute to human knowledge with this network. 

Dr. Franck Marchis is a senior planetary astronomer at the SETI Institute and Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder at Unistellar. Marchis moved to the United States in October 2000 shortly after getting a Ph.D. from the University of Toulouse in France, which he acquired while traveling around the world for his research and the sake of exploration. He has dedicated his work to the study of our solar system, specifically the search for asteroids with moons, using mainly ground-based telescopes equipped with adaptive optics (AO). More recently he has also been involved in defining the next generation of AO for 8-10 m class telescopes and future Extremely Large Telescopes. He is currently the collaboration manager of the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey, which images and characterizes Jupiter-like exoplanets using an extreme AO system (xAO) designed for the Gemini South telescope. 

7:30PM – 10:00PM Eastbay Astronomical Society, Telescope Makers Workshop, Lab 2

Open to all ages, the Telescope Makers’ Workshop is an all-volunteer group committed to helping people build their own telescopes. Drop in to see what they are up to. 

The Eastbay Astronomical Society serves Bay Area residents and astronomy enthusiasts with events, classes, and Oakland’s premier views of the universe.  

7:30PM – 10:30PM Telescope Viewings, Observatory Deck

Join Chabot astronomers on the Observatory Deck for a free telescope viewing! Weather permitting, this is a chance to explore stars, planets and more through Chabot’s historic telescopes.  

8 PM Unistellar Citizen Science Initiative, Observation Deck

Citizen science is collaborative research between amateur and professional scientists who share a common goal. Most citizen scientists are everyday people, who are curious about science and want to collaborate with others. 

Unistellar focuses on citizen space science, which explores the realm beyond planet Earth. Professional space scientists often need the support of citizen scientists – there are simply not enough devices and time to collect all the information that exists about our universe, so citizen scientists use their passion to help gather and analyze data. This work allows us to expand our knowledge of the universe. 

The Unistellar Network is a worldwide community of Citizen Astronomers working in partnership with professional astronomers at the SETI Institute. Members use their Unistellar telescopes to collect astronomical data, which is supplied to SETI Institute astronomers who then use it to develop predictions and models. Unistellar community members connect through social media or slack to share results and plan observation nights with one another. There are currently four main Science Programs, but Unistellar is constantly expanding its horizons.  

Unistellar, the pioneer of New Astronomy, is the company behind a new category of telescopes, the eVscopes. 

The eVscopes are the world’s most powerful and simple-to-operate smart telescopes, which allow them to bring the wonders of the universe to life in seconds—even in light-polluted urban settings.  

8 PM  Natasha Batalha, “Unveiling the Nature of Terrestrial Worlds with Next-Generation Space Missions”, Theater

NASA’s Kepler Mission sought to answer a simple question: Do rocky planets, like Earth, exist elsewhere in our galaxy? We now know that not only do terrestrial worlds exist in our galaxy, but they also exist in abundance. Now we can consider: Where did we come from? Is the habitability of our planet unique? Does life exist beyond the Solar System? The answers lie in the chemical makeup of the atmospheres of these distant worlds called exoplanets.  

NASA’s next generation space telescope, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – which just successfully launched in December – has 6.25x the photon collecting area, up to 100x the resolution, and 10x the spectroscopic wavelength coverage compared to the Hubble Space Telescope. 

Batalha will give insights into the first objects JWST will look at, including one planet which could be potentially habitable. NASA’s future missions’ endeavor to directly image planets in hopes of detecting signatures of biology. Batalha will discuss what we need to do today to ensure these goals are realized in the coming decades.  

Dr. Natasha Batalha is a scientist at NASA Ames Research Center who studies the atmospheres of worlds beyond the Solar System, also called exoplanets. She has a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Cornell University and a dual PhD from The Pennsylvania State University in Astrobiology & Astrophysics.  

8 PM NASA GeneLab, “Discovering biological responses and adaptation to the space environment: A Summer at NASA Ames Space Biosciences Division,” Chabot Café

NASA interns at Ames Research Center will present findings from their summer projects involving space biology, bioinformatics, and space mission experiments. Learn how they received a summer internship at NASA and discover some new and intriguing science happening within NASAs Space Biosciences Division.

8:30 PM Simon Steele, “Secrets in Starlight: How rainbows unlock the mysteries of the universe”, Studio 3

Although beautiful images of galaxies and nebulae get all the attention, the true secrets of the universe are revealed through the science of spectroscopy.  Come and see how astronomers use spectra to understand the inner workings of the cosmos. 

Simon Steel is Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research at the SETI Institute. As an observational astrophysicist, he specialized in optical spectrophotometry, with an interest in the star formation histories of galaxies. As a science educator and communicator for over 25 years, Simon has held lectureships at Harvard University, University College London, and University College Dublin, and is an eight-time recipient of Harvard’s Certificate of Distinction in Teaching award for undergraduate education. Simon’s experience spans formal and informal education, teacher training, museum exhibit design and multimedia product development.  

9:00 PM PBS Nova, “Ultimate Space Telescope Film”, Theater

How did NASA engineers build and launch the most ambitious telescope of all time? Follow the dramatic story of the James Webb Space Telescope—the most complex machine ever launched into space. If it works, scientists believe that this new eye on the universe will peer deeper back in time and space than ever before to the birth of galaxies and may even be able to “sniff” the atmospheres of exoplanets as we search for signs of life beyond Earth. But getting it to work is no easy task. The telescope is far bigger than its predecessor, the famous Hubble Space Telescope, and it needs to make its observations a million miles away from Earth—so there will be no chance to go out and fix it. That means there’s no room for error; the most ambitious telescope ever built needs to work perfectly. Meet the engineers making it happen and join them on their high stakes journey to uncover new secrets of the universe.