NoCoAstro
The Northern Colorado Astronomical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the science of astronomy and to encourage and coordinate activities of amateur astronomers.
The May 2nd, 2024 meeting will be held in-person at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, 408 Mason Ct, Fort Collins at 6:15 PM. For anyone uncomfortable with in-person meetings or otherwise unable to attend in person, the meeting will be simultaneously broadcast on Zoom via Webinar.
Download the Current Issue of the “Objective View” Newsletter: June 2018
May 2nd, 2024 6:15 pm Speaker - Dr. Elizabeth Jensen
The Faraday Effect Tracker of Coronal and Heliospheric Structures (FETCH) Instrument Proposal
Abstract: >>>BRING A SLINKY!<<< The Faraday Effect Tracker of Coronal and Heliospheric Structures (FETCH) is a novel radio instrument system being developed to probe coronal and interplanetary magnetic field structures in the ambient solar wind, corotating interaction regions, and coronal mass ejections, as they propagate and evolve in the inner heliosphere. FETCH radio systems will be placed upon the four spacecraft constituting the Multiview Observatory for Solar Terrestrial Science (MOST) mission. FETCH trans-heliospheric radio measurements will be evaluated to determine Faraday Rotation (FR) of linearly polarized spacecraft radio signals transmitted along the four LOSs. By transmitting and receiving radio signals at selected radio frequencies at 165 and 225 MHz, FETCH will be able to measure FR across a broad range of heliodistances. The data collected will be used to constrain the magnetic field topology and dynamics of interplanetary plasma structures upstream from Earth. This will provide unique opportunities for early detection of potentially geoeffective heliospheric events as well as insight into their evolution towards Earth. Due to the hazards created by Space Weather, this work addresses an important safety issue.
Monthly Meetings
Regular club meetings have resumed at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery in the Otterbox Digital Dome Theater. They are scheduled for the 1st Thursday of every month. Please verify the meeting date and location on the club website. The business portion of the meeting is scheduled for 15 minutes starting at 6:15pm.
Regular topics include:
- Announcements on upcoming NCAS events: speakers, stargazing, outreaching, etc.
- Brief updates from the club treasurer and secretary
- Items of general interest as shared by members and visitors
After the business meeting, invited speakers present an astronomy-related program beginning at 6:30pm. It is free of charge and the public is welcome. Talks are typically geared towards people with a high-school science background, but the level does vary. Feel free to contact a club officer for guidance if the target level is not apparent from the talk description. Talks typically last for 60 minutes. Questions are usually welcome both during and after the talk.
What’s New
- May 2nd Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Jensen - The Faraday Effect Tracker of Coronal and Heliospheric Structures (FETCH) Instrument Proposal
- Steven Weinmeister has uploaded several cool astronomical images to his photo album
- 2024 Volunteer Log
- 2024 Astronomy Highlights
Featured Photo Album Images
NoCoAstro Flyers
Have you seen our newsletter?
Check out a preview below. Download the full newsletter from the link above!
Join NoCoAstro!
NoCoAstro invites all to participate in our public events and to consider becoming a member to get access to many benefits.
