Santiago Canyon College (SCC) - Astronomy Program

SCC Astronomy Professor Morrie Barembaum has released the latest edition of the SCC Astronomy newsletter, What’s Up?

This month’s issue highlights NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is scheduled to launch today, April 1, at 3:24 p.m. PDT.

The mission marks a major milestone in human space exploration as astronauts prepare to travel beyond low-Earth orbit and journey around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

Interested in astronomy…. Know someone who is….

Please let them know we’re offering an intersession astronomy class this January.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

We're only TWO WEEKS out from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's first images!

Get ready for the first preview of how Rubin will in its decade-long survey in a live streamed event on June 23, 2025 at 11am EDT!

Stay up to date at rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look



📷: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/DOE/NSF/AURA/H. Stockebrand

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and will reveal its first images on June 23, 2025! Once fully online later this year, Rubin will be jointly operated by NSF NOIRLab and DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Its not every day a new telescope comes online. Join in for Vera Rubin's First Look! 🤩

We're only TWO WEEKS out from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's first images!

Get ready for the first preview of how Rubin will in its decade-long survey in a live streamed event on June 23, 2025 at 11am EDT!

Stay up to date at rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look



📷: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/DOE/NSF/AURA/H. Stockebrand

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and will reveal its first images on June 23, 2025! Once fully online later this year, Rubin will be jointly operated by NSF NOIRLab and DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

SCC is offering a new astronomy course this spring semester. Astr 104: Introduction to Cosmology. Learn about the Big Bang, relativity, black holes, what's out in the universe and so much more. The class meets Mondays & Wednesdays: 8:40 - 10:05 am. Classes start Feb. 10th.

Are you, or someone you know, looking for a class to take during intersession. Please consider taking Astronomy 102: Stars and Galaxies!!

Could Dyson spheres exist in our galaxy? A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical giant structure that surrounds a star and can capture its solar output. Two separate groups of astronomers have claimed that they have detected dozens of possible Dyson spheres within the Milky Way galaxy. NBC’s Gadi Schwartz speaks with Dr. Michio Kaku about what ...

"Andromeda Galaxy" This photo took over 1200 minutes of exposure.

📸 Credit: Dustin Gibson

On this day 100 years ago, our universe got bigger 🤩

On October 6, 1923, Edwin Hubble detected a Cepheid variable star in the mysterious Andromeda Nebula. This discovery allowed him to measure its distance for the first time, proving that Andromeda was a "distant island universe" (i.e., a galaxy) like the Milky Way, but much further away. Our understanding of the size of the universe changed dramatically overnight. Today, we know that the Milky Way and Andromeda are separated by a distance of 2.5 million light years.

The image shows Hubble's original photographic plate of Andromeda, on which he excitedly scribbled"VAR!" to indicate the newly discovered variable star and the date.

Special thanks to Lowell astronomer Dr. Michael West for sharing this info with us!

📷: Carnegie Observatories

There’s a new supernova in M101, and it’s the closest one to Earth in the last ten years! 💫

The discovery was made by prolific supernova hunter Koichi Itagaki. Upon discovery it had a magnitude of 14.9, but it will continue brightening for a few days, likely approaching magnitude 12.

It’s brightness will make it an easy visual target through backyard telescopes for a few months. Or, come up to Mars Hill to view through our scopes!

SCC Community Science Night is BACK! After covid kept this event from happening, Science Night Strikes Back! Community Science night is coming up! Friday, April 28, 2023 from 5:30 pm 8:30 pm. Free, public event of science activities to engage our kids of the day. Activities geared towards K-8th grades.