 LongmontAstronomical Society |
Welcome to the Longmont Astronomical SocietyThe Longmont Astronomical Society is a non-profit amateur astronomy club based in Longmont, Colorado. The club was founded in 1987 by people enthused about astronomy and who were looking for an avenue to share their enthusiasm with others of like interest. Since then the club's membership has grown to over 100 (families and individuals) that embody all levels of experience and interest. Our meetings and star parties are open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend. The photos at right were taken by our members. You can see more of their astrophotography in our newsletters. |
LAS members provided the slide show images, shown in this order: Solar Prominences by Brian Kimball; North America Nebula by David Elmore; Total eclipse of the Sun by Jim Elkins; Jupiter by Gary Garzone; Messier 51 by Glenn Frank; N6888Q by MJ Post; NGC 7000 North America Nebula by Eddie Hunnell; Comet Neowise by Brian Kimball; Sharpless 86 Emission Nebula by MJ Post; Eta Carina by Tally O’Donnell; Top of the Heart Nebula by Vern Raben
Recent news
Click to see photos... May Owl Hollow Excursion | Upcoming events
2021 Calendar Available The LAS 2021 calendar featuring fabulous astrophotos taken by members of the Longmont Astronomical Society is now available at the LAS Store. |
Many LAS members caught a glimpse of this recent visitor. Several were able to capture images of this amazing comet. Click here to view the collection... [above: Near Rawlins, WY: Paul Robinson] |
Become a Member!
Membership in the Longmont Astronomical Society is open to all people of any age. We offer Student and Individual Memberships.
Next LAS virtual meeting...
...January 21, 2021. 7:00 PM
The Super Soaker Sounding Rocket Experiment:
How to Artificially Create Polar Mesospheric Clouds
Irfan Azeem
Chief Scientist
Atmospheric and Space Technology Research Associates (ASTRA), Louisville. CO
In this presentation, I will discuss something that astronomers usually avoid: clouds. I will describe a recent NASA sounding rocket experiment that was designed to artificially create high altitude clouds, called polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs). The Earth’s upper atmosphere (above 80 km altitude) is typically an extremely dry place, with water vapor mixing ratios measured in parts per million near 85 km altitude. The introduction of large quantities of water to the upper atmosphere, for example from rocket exhausts, can produce unexpected effects including the formation of PMCs. To better understand how concentrated water vapor parcels lead to PMC formation, NASA supported a rocket experiment called Supersoaker. Supersoaker was launched on 26 January 2018 from Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska and explosively released 200 kg of water vapor at 85 km altitude in a coordinated ground-based campaign to measure mesospheric clouds, temperature changes, and wind changes in response to the water vapor release. In this talk, I will present some highlights of the rocket experiment and the major advancement in our understanding of the generation of these PMCs.
About ASTRA
ASTRA™ turns science into data, & data into knowledge.
Space affects us on Earth more than most realize. The complex systems of space weather dynamics interact with critical infrastructure both off and on Earth and impact the way we live, work, and play.
At ASTRA, we seek to better comprehend these systems through deep, fundamental knowledge of atmospheric science and space weather dynamics. We provide the tools and data to understand and mitigate the influence space weather has on our daily lives.
[text from astraspace.net, website for ASTRA, LLC]Join us via Zoom, 7:00 PM, January 21, 2020
If you are not a member and wish to attend the meeting as a guest you may contact us for an invitation.