Friday, July 10, 2026, 7 pm, location TBD
Zoe Todd
UW Madison
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Astronomy
For centuries, humanity has been grappling with the fundamental question: are we alone in the universe? The origins of life on Earth and the search for life on other planets are important scientific topics now within our grasp to potentially answer.
(more…)Friday, June 12, 2026, 7 PM, location TBD
John Valley
Professor emeritus, UW Department of Geoscience
The earliest Eon of Earth history (4.5 to 4.0 billion years ago) is called the Hadean, reflecting the conditions of a fiery beginning with intense meteorite bombardment, a surface covered by a magma ocean, and no liquid water. However, no Hadean-age rocks are known, and the most direct evidence comes from rare, eroded grains of sand (detrital zircons).
Friday, May 8, 2026, 7 PM, UW Space Place
Rick Wayne
MAS Outreach Coordinator
Quite recently, only the brainiest and most dedicated uber-nerds dared to tread into astroimaging. The laws of physics haven’t changed, but in every direction, the barriers to entry have nevertheless fallen. First-class optics, precision mounts, amazing sensors, and simply incredible advances in software are in reach for just about anyone. If you thought astrophotography was too hard or too expensive, see what you think after we explore the current state of play.
(more…)Friday, Apr 10, 2026, 7 PM, UW Space Place
Maxwell Kroft
UW PhD student
How do astronomers discover and characterize exoplanets? It’s not as straightforward as spotting them with a telescope, like you do with stars on a clear night in a park. In this presentation, Max will delve into the methods astronomers employ to measure various aspects of exoplanets, primarily by observing their impact on their host stars. He’ll also share his research on exoplanets conducted using the WIYN 3.5m telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona.
(more…)Friday, Mar 13, 2026, 7 PM, UW Space Place
Mistakes and Second Chances
John Rummel
Photographic mistakes take many different forms. Some can be very expensive. Like when you’ve traveled thousands of miles to be in the exact location, at the exact time, to take a very specific shot. When you screw it up, second chances can be difficult to arrange, or may just be impossible.
In this March meeting presentation, John Rummel will talk about a multi-year plan to be in that spot, to take THAT shot, and how it all went wrong.
(more…)Friday, Feb 13, 2026, 7 PM, UW Space Place
By sharing their personal stories of how their interest in astronomy began and how, 4,000 miles apart, those stories led them to MAS and a lasting friendship, Avtar and Jeff hope to engage the audience in a conversation about their own beginnings and journeys into amateur astronomy.
Special treat – Avtar and Jeff will bring their first telescopes (which both still have) to share with the audience.
(more…)Friday, Jan 9, 2026, 7:00 PM, UW Space Place
The design for this unusual telescope, which features a polar-aligned, fixed eyepiece, takes me back several decades. At the time, I was investigating warmed-room observatories, many of which had been featured in the well-known Amateur Telescope Making book series (three volumes). One of the simplest of these had been constructed by Russell W. Porter (1871–1949), principal founder of the amateur telescope making movement, which (in the U.S.) began in the early twentieth century.
(more…)Friday, Dec 12, 2025, 7:00 PM – UW Space Place
Our December meeting is our annual “telescope clinic” where we invite anyone to bring their troublesome or confusing telescopes to the meeting. Our members will assist you in understanding how they work and diagnosing (and even fixing) any problems you’ve encountered. Also, refreshments!
(more…)Friday Nov 14, 2025, 7:00 PM – UW Space Place
The November monthly MAS meeting will feature the long-awaited return of the MAS Trivia Contest! Test your knowledge of astronomy and nerd trivia. Have a fun time with old and new friends. Win prizes! Gain bragging rights!
Kevin Santulis and John Rummel will be your trivia hosts.
(more…)Friday Oct 10, 2025, 7:00 PM – UW Space Place
“Perspectives” examines relative distances in the universe and the possible distances achievable through manned and unmanned space flight and through amateur and professional telescopic observation. Examining scales from the human altitude record to the four cosmological horizons, the program discusses astrophysicists’ current thinking about several significant questions:
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