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Celebrate Upcoming Summer Solstice with Us!

We have a special program for our members and guests. For June, HAL5 is partnering up with our friends at Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS) to host a special program on Chandra X-Ray Observatory at VBAS' Monte Sano Observatories. The special event will take place on Friday, June 21, 2013 (Summer Solstice) at 7 PM. Dr. Martin C. Weisskopf, Chief Scientist for X-Ray Astronomy and Chandra Project Scientist at NASA MSFC,will be our guest speaker.

After the program, a short planetary show take place, and weather permitting, viewing through VBAS' C-16 and 21-inch telescope. You are invited to bring your own telescope. Direction to the observatory can be found here.

Abstract for the Talk
The Chandra X-ray Observatory, the third of NASA's four Great Observatories and its flagship mission for X-ray astronomy, was launched by NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999. The first X-ray sources were observed on August 12, 1999. The brightest of these sources named Leon X-1 in honor of Chandra's Telescope Scientist who played the leading role in establishing the key to Chandra's great advance in angular resolution. Over the past years, the Observatory's ability to provide sub-arc second X-ray images and high resolution spectra has established it as one of the most versatile and powerful tools for astrophysical research in the 21st century. Chandra explores the high-energy regions of the universe, observing X-ray sources with fluxes ranging over more than 10 orders of magnitude. The longevity of Chandra also provides a long observing baseline enabling temporal studies over time-scales of years. I will discuss how the Observatory works, the current operational status, and scientific highlights covering a variety of objects from stars with nearby planets that impact the stellar activity to the deepest Chandra surveys.

About VBAS
VBAS observatory is a gem in Huntsville. VBAS was originally founded in 1954 as the Rocket City Astronomical Association, thanks to the efforts of a group of high school students interested in Astronomy lead by Sam Pruitt, along with the help and influence of Wernher von Braun.

By 1956, the organization had grown to include several members of the Von Braun Missile Team and they completed the observatory. The facilities today include a second observatory, astronomical library, solar telescope, and planetarium. Use the "Library", "Observatories", and "Planetarium" links in the top menu to explore our facilities. For more information please visit VBAS.org.


The event is free and open to the general public. Please see HAL5 News and Calendar page for more upcoming events.

News from ISDC 2013

HAL5 received the 2012 NSS Excellence in public Outreach at ISDC 2013!
The event is free and open to the general public. Please see HAL5 News and Calendar page for more upcoming events.

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