Astro 101: Celestial Tales - Fall Chapter

This event is one of several introductions to astronomy offered by SJAA. During this hour, we'll regale you with the Fall chapter of a four-part expedition across the seasons. We'll share stories told about the stars in the night sky, journeying from ancestral tales to the rituals that shaped civilization.

We’ll walk in the footsteps of the pioneers, legends, rebels, and geniuses who paved the way for modern astronomy. In this Fall chapter, we dive into the different types of solar and lunar eclipses, exploring why predicting these celestial alignments challenged astronomers for millennia. From there, the focus shifts to the Chandrasekhar limit, uncovering the 50-year journey of struggle & skepticism that ultimately led to a Nobel Prize. In the last half, we’ll wrap up by sharing a select few timeless stories written into the seasonal fall skies. These stories reveal the awe, ingenuity, and surprising connections behind the modern science we know today.

Note that SJAA is offering this talk in collaboration with the Santa Clara Northside Library. See also the library's event notice here: https://www.sclibrary.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/115066/7952

Celestial Tales will be presented by Rashi Girdhar, a seasoned backyard astronomer and longtime SJAA member with a deep fascination for outer space, both science and history. Join us as we reclaim the lessons of the past to better understand our place in the cosmos. Through this seasonal series and our other SJAA sessions, you will truly become a Celestial Explorer. Bring your curiosity; we’ll provide the universe!

Title image generated via AI by Rashi Girdhar for Celestial Tales.