The SETI and Europa Report

I don't post movie reviews on my blog, but I will talk a bit about a very interesting science fiction movie I enjoyed recently. The movie is called Europa Report, and it is a fact-based sci-fi, something that I quite enjoy because it employs very solid science and technology in its depiction of the future. In this case, the story is of a search for extraterrestrial life, a trip to the Jovian moon Europa in hopes of finding the first sign of life outside of Earth.

Europa Report poster

I find the search for extraterrestrial life and SETI (extraterrestrial intelligence) to be an excellent scientific endeavor, and the latest discoveries of exoplanets on the Kepler Mission, and the ongoing search being conducted by the SETI Institute at the Allen Array in Northern California, along with advanced astrobiology research going on at SETI in Mountain View, all are part of the grand search that captivates so many -- the ongoing pursuit of an answer to the question "are we alone in the universe?" I am happy that we live in a world where some of our tax dollars and donations support these scientific endeavors

The movie Europa Report, like Contact and Deep Impact, are portrayals of unusual or theoretical situations that attempt to remain scientifically grounded. I once heard astronomer and blogger Phil Plait give a fairly in depth assessment of Deep Impact, and although it has some flaws, it is mostly on the mark and an exciting movie for the subject at hand, a comet impacting the Earth. Europa Report follows the story of six astronauts on the long journey to one of Jupiter's moons, Europa, because it contains a large ocean of water under a layer of ice, and could harbor life. Without spoiling the movie ending, I'll simply say that the drama and excitement (and danger) of this kind of journey are well captured in this movie, and if you want an entertaining and riveting evening out, go see the movie. If you'd like a proper movie review, here are some good ones: Space.com is good, as is Roger Ebert's review and the review on io9.

Get Involved: Astronomy Lectures, Star Parties and more

The Bay Area has many great astronomy resources and if you want to expand your knowledge of the universe and have a good time, check out one of these upcoming astronomy-oriented events.

Star Party and Lecture on Mount Tamalpais: The San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA) hosts monthly lectures and star parties at the Mountain Theater on Mount Tam in Marin County from April through October. Ken Frank is giving a talk this weekend (Saturday 11th September at 8:30 pm) on the Globe At Night project, highlighting the effects of light pollution

worldwide. Details on the Mount Tam website. Following the lecture, the SFAA has telescopes set up for public viewing.

Benjamin Dean Lecture Series at Cal Academy: The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco hosts excellent programs on many areas of science. The Dean Lectures focus on astronomy and this month (Monday 13th September at 7:30 pm) the talk is on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) with Jon Jenkins of the SETI Institute. Tickets and information at the Cal Academy website.

The San Francisco Amateur Astronomers monthly meeting is always open to the public. This month's meeting features NASA Ames astronomer Chris McKay speaking about extreme environments on heavenly bodies in the Solar System. The meeting is on Wednesday 15th September at 7:30 pm at the Randall Museum in San Francisco. More details on the SFAA Website.

I hope to see you at one of these excellent events.

Get involved: AANC astronomy lectures and star party on September 12

Here's a chance to dive into astronomy and hear from the scientists that are making news right now. The Astronomical Association of Northern California (AANC) is opening the first day of its annual meeting to the public on Saturday September 12th at the Westin Hotel at SFO in Millbrae. The day features a broad range of talks about astronomy, from imaging of the heavens through the Hubble Space Telescope, to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), to the upcoming NASA Lunar Impactor mission (LCROSS mission), and the history of the telescope. Also there will be telescopes for solar observing during the day and a star party in the evening (lead by yours truly). Register online - high-school age students are Free. Visit aancstars2009.org for details.

SFAA Astronomy Lectures: Spitzer Telescope, Kuiper Belt

Every month the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA) host a lecture by an expert in the field of astronomy. In June, the guest was Dr. Dana Backmann of the SOFIA Project and SETI Institute. Dr. Backmann spoke about the Spitzer Space Telescope and the detailed research underway to understand and photograph Exoplanets. These are planets orbiting stars outside of our own Sun, such as Epsilon Eridani, Fomalhaut and Vega. Of the 350 stars being studied by the Spitzer Space Telescope, 20% of them have "Kuiper Belts" where Neptune-like planets can be found.

This month the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers meeting and lecture takes place on Wednesday July 15th at 7:30 pm. The lecture features Dr. Eugene Chiang, Associate Professor of Astronomy and Earth & Planetary Science at UC Berkeley, in a talk entitled "The Tenth Planet & Beyond." Dr. Chiang will focus exclusively on the Kuiper Belt, the part of the Solar System beyond the orbit of Neptune that includes over 1000 icy, rocky objects, including one bigger than Pluto.

The SFAA lectures always take place at the Randall Museum in San Francisco and are open to all ages (although many of the topics are oriented toward an adult audience). Bring a friend and take advantage of the chance to get a truly in-depth perspective on a range of topics in the field of astronomy.

One additional note: a traveling display of astronomical photographs from space missions are on tour and currently at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The display, called "From Earth to the Universe (FETTU)" will remain at the CAS until September and then move to the Tech Museum in San Jose. The FETTU exhibit showcases the varying spectra of light and how scientists learn by studying the universe at wavelengths of light other than the visible spectrum, something that can help the public to better understand the SOFIA Project.