Impact craters can be found throughout the solar system. NASA scientists use impact craters and volcanic activity to learn about the process throughout the solar system. By studying craters on Earth, scientists gain knowledge of volcanic landform formation and modification made by impacting bodies. In northern Quebec, Canada, the Clearwater site is actually two craters from a rare binary impact. The site contains one of the best records of impact melt rocks and breccias among impact sites. These clues provide information on Impact Rock Modification. The goal of the research is to understand the nature and formation of impact melts, breccias and effect of volatiles delivered by an impactor. Please Join us for our March fundamentals talk, where we will explore the known impact craters on earth and their characteristics. Their geology and causes will be evaluated as well as the dating of the impacts using Chronological Record research. Our presenter, NAA Club Member Jim Hopkins, will also examine several objects in the solar system and how craters may have formed there. Jim will highlight the physics of crater formation.
May ’25 — Rick’s Picks
Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: the planets continue their exodus from the evening sky this month. Uranus is now lost in the solar glare – it will reach conjunction on May 17 and return as a...
Astronomy Fundamentals: A Look at the History of Alvan Clark Telescopes
In the 19th century, Alvan Graham Clark was one of the premier lens makers for telescopes. His craftsmanship was sought after and many observatories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were built to house his refractor telescopes. In fact, smaller Alvan Clark...
The Cosmologist’s Puzzle: The Age and Expansion Rate of the Universe.
We are confused about how old the Universe is. Until recently, astronomers estimated that the Big Bang occurred between 12 and 14 billion years ago. Astronomers can place a lower limit to the age of the universe by studying globular clusters. Globular clusters are a...
April ’25 – Rick’s Picks
Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little ObservingAll month: the solar system balances morning and evening targets this month as Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Neptune move into the predawn sky, while Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus...