Monthly Meeting Programs

Search Talks and Speakers Year All Years 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 Recorded Only

Search

2026

10 Programs · 3 Recordings

• October Beyond the Museum: Bringing Space Exploration Down to Earth Dr. Voula Saridakis
• September Life on Mars: A Cultural History
• August Annual Auction
• July Exploring the Universe from Antarctica and the Edge of Space Jessica Avva Zebrowski
• June The Chirp That Changed Astronomy Dr. Shanika Galaudage
• May Exploring the Dynamic Sky with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Dr. Douglas Tucker
• April NASA’s Dragonfly: A Whirlybird for Titan Bill Higgins Watch NASA’s Dragonfly: A Whirlybird for Titan (YouTube)
• March The Story of Our Solar System Professor Joe DalSanto Watch The Story of Our Solar System (YouTube)
• February From Stars to Scans: Cosmic Origins of Medical Imaging Isotopes Dr. Wesley Gohn Watch From Stars to Scans: Cosmic Origins of Medical Imaging Isotopes (YouTube)
• January Einstein’s Symphony: Deciphering the Music of Black Holes and Neutron Stars Dr. Michael Zevin

2025

12 Programs · 6 Recordings

• December Astrophysical Plasmas and Cosmic Rays Dr. Damiano Caprioli
• November The Connection Between the Periodic Table and Astronomy Larry Bartoszek Watch The Connection Between the Periodic Table and Astronomy (YouTube)
• October Artificial Intelligence in Astronomy Dale Delutri Watch Artificial Intelligence in Astronomy (YouTube)
• September Dark matter, Dark energy, & gravitational lensing Daniel Gilman
• August Annual Auction
• July Neutrino Astronomy in Greenland and Antarctica Philipp Windischhofer, Anna Kofman, Christoph Welling
• June Wonders of Webb: Exploring the Universe with JWST James Kovac
• May Doane Observatory: Research and Public Outreach Michelle Nichols Watch Doane Observatory: Research and Public Outreach (YouTube)
• April The Cosmologist’s Puzzle: The Age and Expansion Rate of the Universe Dr. Tanvi Karwal Watch The Cosmologist’s Puzzle: The Age and Expansion Rate of the Universe (YouTube)
• March Exoplanet Atmospheres and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life Michael Zhang Watch Exoplanet Atmospheres and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life (YouTube)
• February Returning to the Moon After More Than 50 Years James “Joel” Knapper Watch Returning to the Moon After More Than 50 Years (YouTube)
• January Europa Clipper: NASA Investigates an Icy Ocean Bill Higgins

2024

12 Programs · 2 Recordings

• December Celebrating the Centennial of Planetariums with a Visit to the New Shanghai Astronomy Museum Jim Sweitzer, PhD
• November Discovering the Stars Dr. Joe DalSanto
• October Babylonian Astronomy Howard Farber
• September Wormholes, Spacewarps, and Tunnels to Otherwheres Dr. Shane Larson
• August Annual Auction NAA
• July The Space Elevator: From Science Fiction to Engineering Larry Bartoszek
• June Solving Big Problems with Tiny Experiments-Quantum Sensors for Astrophysics Applications Daniel Baxter
• May History of Eclipse Calculations (with Some Math) Dan McGlaun
• April Upgrades to the 4m Blanco and Mayall telescopes for DES and DESI Gaston Gutierrez Ph.D.
• March Yerkes Observatory: 125 Years of History and a Bright Future Amanda Bauer Ph.D., Head of Science and Education, Yerkes Observatory Watch Yerkes Observatory: 125 Years of History and a Bright Future (YouTube)
• February Dark Matter and Tiny Galaxies Dr. Alex Drlica-Wagner
• January Lucy's Tour of the Trojan Asteroids Bill Higgins Watch Lucy's Tour of the Trojan Asteroids (YouTube)

2023

12 Programs · 10 Recordings

• December What Do "Yellowballs" Have to Do with the Birth of Stars? Grace Wolf-Chase, Ph.D. Watch What Do "Yellowballs" Have to Do with the Birth of Stars? (YouTube)
• November Mysteries of the Cosmos: The Search for Alien Life on the Moons of Saturn Jim Kovac
• October Walking With AAVSO Giants: A 60's Personal Journey Roger Kolman Ph. D. Watch Walking With AAVSO Giants: A 60's Personal Journey (YouTube)
• September Observation of nanoHertz Gravitational Waves Dr. Paul Bloom, Associate Professor of Physics, North Central College Watch Observation of nanoHertz Gravitational Waves (YouTube)
• August NAA Annual Auction
• July The Mystery of the Siberian Explosion: An Environmental History of the Tunguska Event Andy Bruno, Associate Professor of History and Environmental Studies at Northern Illinois University Watch The Mystery of the Siberian Explosion: An Environmental History of the Tunguska Event (YouTube)
• June NASA's Psyche Mission: Electric Voyage to a Metal Asteroid Bill Higgins Watch NASA's Psyche Mission: Electric Voyage to a Metal Asteroid (YouTube)
• May The Artemis, NASA's New Rocket Watch The Artemis, NASA's New Rocket (YouTube)
• April Space Stations: Past, Present, and Future James Joel Knapper Watch Space Stations: Past, Present, and Future (YouTube)
• March Exoplanets in Resonant Chains Daniel Fabrycky Ph.D. Watch Exoplanets in Resonant Chains (YouTube)
• February The History of the Universe Starting with the Big Bang Larry Bartoszek Watch The History of the Universe Starting with the Big Bang (YouTube)
• January What Did DART Do? NASA's Asteroid-Smasher and Its Paparazzo Companion Watch What Did DART Do? NASA's Asteroid-Smasher and Its Paparazzo Companion (YouTube)

2022

11 Programs · 11 Recordings

• December Feeling Small in a Big Cosmos Dr. Shane Larson / CIERA – Northwestern University Watch Feeling Small in a Big Cosmos (YouTube)
• November A Hydrogen Line Radio Telescope at Monarch Landing Bob Bullock, Ron Sellberg, Philip Schreiner Watch A Hydrogen Line Radio Telescope at Monarch Landing (YouTube)
• October LUVOIR – A Potential Space Telescope, and IIT's Tiny but Crucial Contribution Dr. Tom Roberts, IIT Watch LUVOIR – A Potential Space Telescope, and IIT's Tiny but Crucial Contribution (YouTube)
• September An Abundance of Magnetized Radio Filaments in the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy Dr. Farhad Yusef-Zadeh Watch An Abundance of Magnetized Radio Filaments in the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy (YouTube)
• July At the Edge of Time: Exploring Our Universe's First Seconds Dan Hooper Watch At the Edge of Time: Exploring Our Universe's First Seconds (YouTube)
• June Listening to Black Holes Dr. Maya Fishbach Watch Listening to Black Holes (YouTube)
• May Finding the First Stars with the James Webb Space Telescope Brian Welch Watch Finding the First Stars with the James Webb Space Telescope (YouTube)
• April When Galaxies Collide Bhasker Moorthy Watch When Galaxies Collide (YouTube)
• March State of the Astronomy Industry Greg Bragg Watch State of the Astronomy Industry (YouTube)
• February Cosmology is Gravity Jim Annis Watch Cosmology is Gravity (YouTube)
• January The Planets in 2022 Jeffrey Hunt Watch The Planets in 2022 (YouTube)

2021

12 Programs · 11 Recordings

• December Finding Dark Skies Adam Kreuzer and Ken Walczak Watch Finding Dark Skies (YouTube)
• November Mysteries of the Cosmos: the search for Alien Life on the Moons of Jupiter and Saturn Jim Kovac
• October GW190814: the Kilonova that Wasn't Dr. Douglas Tucker Watch GW190814: the Kilonova that Wasn't (YouTube)
• September The ABC's of the LSST GMT at the RFCML! Dean Ketelsen Watch The ABC's of the LSST GMT at the RFCML! (YouTube)
• August Mars Rovers: Class of 2021 Bill Higgins Watch Mars Rovers: Class of 2021 (YouTube)
• July Re-thinking "Water-Worlds" Dr. Pamela L. Gay Watch Re-thinking "Water-Worlds" (YouTube)
• June The High School Mathematics and Physics Behind Dark Matter Mark Christensen Watch The High School Mathematics and Physics Behind Dark Matter (YouTube)
• May Over a Century of Cosmic Particle Acceleration Dr. Damiano Caprioli Watch Over a Century of Cosmic Particle Acceleration (YouTube)
• April Mars Settlement Simulation Rhiannon Blaauw-Erskine, et. al. Watch Mars Settlement Simulation (YouTube)
• March A Virtual Tour of Fermilab's Silicon Detector Facility Donna Kubik Watch A Virtual Tour of Fermilab's Silicon Detector Facility (YouTube)
• February The Elgin National Watch Company Observatory and Elgin U-46 Planetarium: 110 years and counting Peggy Hernandez Watch The Elgin National Watch Company Observatory and Elgin U-46 Planetarium: 110 years and counting (YouTube)
• January Sloan Digital Sky Survey Larry Bartoszek Watch Sloan Digital Sky Survey (YouTube)

2020

12 Programs · 8 Recordings

• December The Great Telescope of Birr Castle: How a 19th-Century Irish Family Changed Astronomy Bill Higgins Watch The Great Telescope of Birr Castle: How a 19th-Century Irish Family Changed Astronomy (YouTube)
• November The Origin of the LSST: a deep time look at a brand new huge telescope Jim Annis Watch The Origin of the LSST: a deep time look at a brand new huge telescope (YouTube)
• October Protecting Future Dark Skies: A Report from the Satellite Frontline Charles Lee Mudd Jr. Watch Protecting Future Dark Skies: A Report from the Satellite Frontline (YouTube)
• September Clear Skies: A Meteorology Crash Course for Astronomers AJ Poelarends Watch Clear Skies: A Meteorology Crash Course for Astronomers (YouTube)
• August Fantastic Space Discoveries: The Search for Planet 9 Jim Kovac
• July The Connection Between the Periodic Table and Astronomy Larry Bartoszek Watch The Connection Between the Periodic Table and Astronomy (YouTube)
• June Apollo Dr. Joseph DalSanto Watch Apollo (YouTube)
• May The Hubble Palette – Mapped Colors of Emission Nebula: A Live Demonstration Eric Coles Watch The Hubble Palette – Mapped Colors of Emission Nebula: A Live Demonstration (YouTube)
• April Women in NASA James "Joel" Knapper Watch Women in NASA (YouTube)
• March Versatility of CCDs Donna Kubik
• February Mysteries of the Cosmos: The Search for Alien Life Jim Kovac
• January The Leslie C. Peltier Award of the Astronomical League Roger Kolman

2019

8 Programs

• December Shooting Stars: Understanding and Observing Meteors Drew Carhart
• November Beyond Pluto to Ultima Thule Bill Higgins
• October Exploring the Solar System's Smallest Objects Kevin Cole, Harper College
• September The Milky Way Project: Probling Star Formation with a New Yellowball Catalog Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase, Adler Planetarium
• May SOLITUDE IN THE COSMOS: Looking for Friends in the Great Cosmic Dark Prof. Shane Larson, Northwestern University
• April How the Sun Got Here Roger Kolman, AAVSO, NAA
• March Comparing the Hubble & Webb Space Telescopes Dean Mikolajczyk, presenter, Cernan Earth and Space Center
• January -MEETING DATE CHANGE- Program: Exoplanets Close to Their Stars Daniel Fabrycky, U. of Chicago

2018

12 Programs

• December Exoplanets Close to Their Stars Daniel Fabrycky, U. of Chicago
• November The Early Astrophotography Methods & Equipment Christopher Olsen, Fermilab
• October How The Sun Got Here Roger Kolman, AAVSO , NAA
• September NASA & the Meteoroid Environment Rhiannon Blaauw, Wheaton College
• August Our Annual Fundraising Auction
• July NASA vs Space X Dean Mikolajczyk, Triton College
• June NASA Mission Update Joel Knapper NASA Solar System Ambassador
• May The Possibilities of Life on Mars and Venus James Kovac, NASA Solar System Ambassador
• April Latest DES Findings Douglas Tucker, Fermilab
• March Science During The Eclipse Mark Adams, U. of Illinois Chicago
• February How do you get a neutron binary star? Arend J. Poelarends Wheaton College
• January LIGO and the Discovery of Gravity Waves Prof. Shane Larson, <a href=

2017

12 Programs

• December The Meteoroid Environment and the Space Program Rhiannon Blaauw, Wheaton College
• November Intergalactic Transfer Research Zachary Hafen, Northwestern University
• October Exploring the Development of Massive Stellar Nurseries Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase
• September The South Pole Telescope Donna Kubik, Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics
• August Annual Auction
• July The Cassini Mission: Review and Grand Finale Joseph DalSanto, College of DuPage
• June Spheres of Influence James Holstein, Collections Manager for Meteorites and Physical Geology, Field Museum
• May Preparing to do Astrophysics in the Age of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Prof. Matt Wiesner, Benedictine University
• April The Glory of the Northern Lights, seen in Yellowknife, Canada Dr. José Francisco Salgado
• March Tension in the Universe: Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and Different Numbers Dr. Dan Scolnic, KICP and Hubble Fellow
• February Mysteries of the Cosmos: Ultimate Fate of the Universe Jim Kovac
• January Chasing shadows—Why observe occultations? Robert Dunford, Argonne National Laboratory atomic physicist and NAA member

2016

12 Programs

• December Binary Stars: From Beauty to Complexity Dr. A. J. (Arend J.) Poelarends, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Wheaton College
• November Neutrinos: Messengers from a Violent Universe Alex Himmel, experimental particle physicist, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
• October Black Holes & Gravitational Waves: LIGO's New View of the Cosmos Shane Larson, research associate professor of physics, Northwestern University (CIERA); astronomer, Adler Planetarium
• September Playback from Pluto: Recent News from NASA's New Horizons Spacecraft Bill Higgins (long-time NAA member), radiation safety physicist, Fermilab
• August Monthly Meeting
• July Seeing all the photons all the time Chris Stoughton, Fermilab astrophysicist
• June Unveiling the Universe at Radio Wavelengths Prof. Farhad Zadeh, Northwestern University
• May Members' Amateur Telescope Projects Tim Baker; Steve Sagarian (members)
• April the development of Objects in the Heavens Peter Birren, local amateur and graphic designer, author of Objects in the Heavens
• March The Architecture of the Cosmos: Building Galaxies on Invisible Foundations Dr. Elise Jennings, research associate, astrophysics theory group, Fermi National Laboratory
• February The Universe at an Exhibition Dr. José Francisco Salgado, astronomer, public speaker, and media artist
• January Mysteries of the Cosmos—Beyond the Big Bang Jim Kovac, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador; Speakers Bureau, Chicago Society for Space Studies

2015

12 Programs

• December The Infrared Universe: Discoveries of the Spitzer Telescope Joe Dal Santo (member; College of DuPage astronomy teacher)
• November The Search for Life in the Universe Lucianne Walkowicz, Adler Planetarium
• October Latest from the New Horizons Pluto Mission Michelle Nichols, Master Educator, Adler Planetarium
• September the findings of the AAVSO ZCAMpaign Dr. Roger Kolman (NAA member; AAVSO)
• August Monthly Meeting
• July Perpetual Twilight: Light Pollution and the Future of Stargazing Drew Carhart (club past-president; founding member of the NAA and the Illinois Coalition for Responsible Outdoor Lighting)
• June Vandals from the Void: Damaging Meteors from Chelyabinsk to Chicago William S. (Bill) Higgins (club member), radiation safety physicist, Fermilab
• May Searching for Dark Matter with Fermilab's DAMIC Experiment Greg Derylo (NAA member), Fermilab
• April Shedding Infrared Light on the Mysteries of Star Birth Grace Wolf-Chase, Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium
• March Gamma Rays, Shining Stars…And the Hulk Robert V.F. Janssens and K. Ernst Rehm, Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory
• February Science, Symphony, and the Northern Lights José Francisco Salgado, PhD, astronomer and science visualizer, Adler Planetarium
• January Dark Energy Camera (DECam) Professor Steve Kent, University of Chicago and Fermilab

2014

10 Programs

• December The Latest on Exoplanets Prof. Yoram Lithwick, Northwestern University
• November Monsters at Galaxies' Cores Prof. Laura Trouille, Research Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium and CIERA Fellow with Northwestern University
• October the breakup of the host asteroid of the L chondrites, studied with fossil meteorites Dr. Philipp R. Heck, Robert A. Pritzker Curator of Meteoritics and Polar Studies, Field Museum of Natural History
• September What Variable Stars Tell Us Dr. Roger Kolman (NAA member; AAVSO)
• August Monthly Meeting
• July Dark Energy, Dark Matter…OR Was Einstein Wrong? Prof. Scott Dodelson, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory / University of Chicago
• June The Latest on the Kepler Mission Prof. Jason Steffen, Northwestern University
• May Hubble's Universe: The Latest Research and Imagery Prof. David Meyer, Northwestern University
• April Shedding Light on Dark Energy Dr. Marcelle Soares-Santos, Fermilab
• March To Explode or Not to Explode: Recent Supernova Research Professor Arend J. Poelarends, Wheaton College

2013

11 Programs

• December devastating impacts that drastically changed the Earth's climate James Holstein, Collection Manager of Meteoritics and Physical Geology, Field Museum
• November Spectroscopy Tom Field, Field Tested Systems; Contributing Editor, Sky & Telescope
• October recent discoveries of extra-solar planets Jim Kovac, NASA Ambassador
• September An Astronomer Talks About Astronomy's Future Shane Larson, Research Associate Professor, Northwestern University
• August trip to Norway to observe the Northern Lights; astronomy trip opportunities Rick Gering (club member)
• July an overview of the science of meteoritics Drew Carhart
• June The Drake Equation: Little Green Men, Exoplanets, and Scientific Progress Scott Thompson (club member)
• May Mars Science Laboratory – a.k.a. "Curiosity" Michelle Nichols, Adler Planetarium Master Educator
• April latest news from the core of our Milky Way galaxy Professor Farhad Yusef-Zadeh, Northwestern University
• March Monthly Meeting
• January seven overlapping methods used by astronomers to measure distance in space Jim Hopkins

2012

12 Programs

• December NASA's future plans for launching astronauts into space Joel Knapper, NASA Solar System Ambassador
• November Mars in 3D Maryl Fisher
• October the Dark Energy Survey Dr. Marcelle Soares-Santos, Research Associate at the Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics
• September Annual Club Auction; astronomy travels to Southern Utah: observing the Transit of Venus; observing the May annual eclipse Drew Carhart; Maryl Fisher; auctioneer Tom Filipski
• August SETI Bill Higgins
• July Monthly Meeting
• June Monthly Meeting
• May Transits of Venus Chuck Bueter, who runs the website transitofvenus.org
• April The Origin of the Elements and The Evolution of the Composition of the Cosmos Prof. James Truran of the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory
• March tools … to explore this data [scientific visualization of supercomputer simulations] Joseph Insley, principal software developer at Argonne National Laboratory
• February how she chooses from an ever increasing assortment of tools to share modern astronomy Katie Peterson, digital content producer at the Adler Planetarium
• January nucleosynthesis Professor James W. Truran of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at The University of Chicago

2011

11 Programs

• December the visual observation of the brightness of variable stars Roger Kolman, member; AAVSO member since 1962 and Council member
• November Timely Travels: dark sky starparty; astro-events of 2012; Observer's Corner virtual tour of the fall skies Jim Hopkins; Rick Gering; Mitch Gerdisch
• October Searching for Dark Matter in a Bubble Chamber Dr. Hugh Lippincott, Lederman Fellow at the Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics
• September the amazing Mr. Reber and his pioneering work Bill Higgins, long-time NAA member and Fermilab physicist
• August travelogue video of … the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Mission STS-131; annual fundraising auction Steve Miller, club president
• July The Hooper Ranch Pueblo Sun Dagger Shrine Solstice Marker John A. Ruskamp, Ed.D.
• June The Exciting Cosmic Microwave Background Donna Kubik from Fermilab
• May "Zooniverse" … project to locate stellar nurseries Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase from Adler Planetarium
• April the Space Shuttle program: memorable missions … and how American astronauts will return to space Joel Knapper, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador and NAA member
• March two leading ideas … to explain the origin of the X-rays [from the Galactic nucleus] Prof. Farhad Yusef-Zadeh from Northwestern University
• January magnetic reconnection Dr. Darren Craig from Wheaton College

2010

12 Programs

• December Presolar Dust Grains From Meteorites Dr. Philipp Heck, Robert A. Pritzker Assistant Curator of Meteoritics and Polar Studies at the The Field Museum of Natural History
• November the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation … methods used to study Donna Kubik, NAA member & Fermilab employee
• October mapping the Milky Way's magnetic field / star formation (BLAST-Pol, Antarctica) Professor Giles Novak of Northwestern University's Department of Physics and Astronomy
• September travelogue … to view … a total solar eclipse; annual club fundraising auction Rick Gering
• August the nebulous boundary where scientific visualization and art overlap in astronomy Dr. José-Francisco Salgado of the Adler Planetarium
• July tour of the new Version 3 of SkyTools Professional edition Jim Hopkins
• June stories of Sir William [Herschel]'s life and achievements Dr. Marvin Bolt of the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
• May the IBEX mission … development of a public outreach program Michelle Nichols, Adler Master Educator
• April the Sloan Digital Sky Survey … how to manage terabytes of data Dr. Chris Stoughton, in charge of data processing and distribution for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• March Cassini mission update John Vittallo, JPL/NASA Solar System Ambassador
• February avenues of research which we amateurs can contribute to Igor Rafalovsky
• January the fundamentals of relativity … the theory of gravitation Todd Livesey

2009

12 Programs

• December up-to-the-minute report on … the core of our Milky Way galaxy Dr. Farhad Zadeh from Northwestern University
• November Monthly Meeting
• October total solar eclipse in China; annual auction Maryl Freestone
• September Supernova Remnants and Superbubbles Thomas Brian Humensky of the University of Chicago Enrico Fermi Institute
• August The Star Next Door Drew Carhart
• July overview of variable star observing; cataclysmic variables Dr. Roger Kolman, past Executive Council member and current Education Committee member of the American Association of Variable Star Observers
• June Astronauts, Cosmic Rays, Solar Wind, and Magnetic Fields Dr. Eugene Parker, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Physics at University of Chicago
• May The end of dark ages and other stories Dr. Nick Gnedin from the University of Chicago and Fermilab
• April How antimatter became a plaything of science fiction Bill Higgins, NAA member and Fermilab employee
• March the latest news from the hunt for planets orbiting other stars Jim Hopkins, Adjunct Professor of Natural Science at Joliet Junior College, member of the NAA and the Calumet Astronomical Society
• February Monthly Meeting Dr. Robert Rosner, Director of [Argonne] National Laboratory; William E. Wrather Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The University of Chicago
• January updates from the field of planetary geology Paul Stoddard, Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University

2008

12 Programs

• December Why Is the Night So Bright? Drew Carhart (NAA co-founder)
• November Dark matter and the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search Dan Bauer (particle astrophysicist; project manager for Fermilab’s Cryogenic Dark Matter Search)
• October Andromeda’s Neighborhood; national League convention recap; Annual Auction Maryl Freestone; Ken Timmons (Astronomical League Correspondent)
• September New Horizons mission Bill Higgins (NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador)
• August Amateur Astro-Research Matt Mills (associate at the Greiner Research Observatory)
• July Field Trip to the Outer Planets Jim Kovac (NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador)
• June The Size of Things: How Big is Space? Drew Carhart (outgoing NAA president)
• May Dark Matter Dan Hooper (Fellow in the theoretical astrophysics group at Fermilab)
• April Black Holes Dr. Farhad Zadeh (Northwestern University)
• March The Birth of Stars Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase (University of Chicago & Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum)
• February Genesis and Stardust Updates Mike Savina (Argonne National Laboratory); Thomas Stephan (The University of Chicago)
• January Cosmic Rays Peter O. Mazur (Pierre Auger Observatory development team)

2007

12 Programs

• December South Pole Telescope Stephen Padin (University of Chicago)
• November Mars Imaging Jim Plaxco (Chicago Society for Space Studies; JPL solar system ambassador)
• October Review of the Astronomy Education Center; Annual Auction Drew Carhart (President)
• September Nuclear Cosmology and the abundance of elements Ernst Rehm (Argonne National Laboratory)
• August Galaxy Clusters! Prof. Melville P. Ulmer (Northwestern University)
• July Mirror Testing at Home John Abrahamian
• June Sloan Digital Sky Survey results and future surveys Dr. Stephen Kent (Sloan Digital Sky Survey)
• May Discovery of early telescopes Dr. Marvin Bolt (Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum)
• April Impacts and cratering Jim Hopkins (NAA member and Kankakee Area Stargazers president)
• March Amateur/professional collaborations and RR Lyrae variable star research Dr. Pamela Gay (Southern Illinois University)
• February Remote Astronomical Society Observatory in New Mexico Tom Pappalardo (Chicago Astronomical Society member)
• January Physics in Freefall Lynne Zielinski (Glenbrook North H.S. teacher)

2006

12 Programs

• December Venus' geology Dr. Paul Stoddard (NIU)
• November Genesis mission sample salvage update Dr. Mike Savina (Argonne National Laboratory)
• October Video imaging overview; Annual Auction Drew Carhart
• September Who Needs Planets? NASA's Missions to Other Places Bill Higgins (NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador; radiation safety physicist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory)
• August Cosmic Rays and space travel Dr. Eugene Parker (Professor Emeritus of the Department of Physics at University of Chicago)
• July Astronomical Journeys Maryl Freestone; Debra Pearl-Lazar; Drew Carhart (members)
• June Relativity 101 Herb Schulz (member)
• May SETI and the Allen Telescope Array Dr. Jill Tarter (Director of the SETI Institute’s Center for SETI Research)
• April Meteorites and Antarctic meteorite hunting Dr. Paul Sipiera (Planetary Studies Foundation)
• March Spectrashift Project Tom Kay
• February Stellar Exotica in Globular Clusters Dr. Craig Heinke (Lindheimer Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University)
• January Searching for Asteroids in the Digital Age Grace Lindsay (N.A.A. member)

2005

12 Programs

• December Exploring Our Future in Space Panel: David Matthews (retired nuclear engineer and Mercury program test engineer); Michelle Nichols (Lead Educator, Adler Planetarium and NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador); Bill Higgins (National Space Society board member and NASA/JPL S.S.A.)
• November Beyond Einstein: The Dark Side of the Universe Dr. Edward “Rocky” Kolb (director of the Fermilab Particle Astrophysics Center; Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago)
• October Observing Variable Stars; Annual Auction Roger Kolman (AAVSO)
• September Star Bowl teams of volunteer contestants
• August Cassini & Huygens Mission to Saturn Bill Higgins (NASA Solar System Ambassador)
• July It's About Time Larry Jahn (NAA Program Chairman), with panelists
• June Through a Glass, Clearly: Science and Education at Williams Bay Professor Kyle M. Cudworth (Yerkes Director)
• May Collecting Meteorites Todd and Mary Lynne Johnson (meteorite collectors)
• April Spying on the Massive Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy Dr. Yousef-Farhad Zadeh (Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University)
• March Solar observation Drew Carhart (club secretary & librarian)
• February Members' astrophotography showcase NAA members
• January Adaptive Optics: the Hope, the Hype, and the Reality Dr. Michael Smutko (Lecturer in Physics & Astronomy at Northwestern; Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium)