Next NOVAC Public Meeting
Sunday, September 13, 2026

Dr. Lisa Upton, Southwest Research Institute presents:   Solar Cycle 25: What We Predicted — and What We Have Learned: Predicting the solar cycle depends on understanding how the Sun’s large-scale magnetic field evolves from one cycle to the next. The Advective Flux Transport (AFT) model simulates how magnetic flux from active regions is transported across […]

Recent technological advancements are enabling huge improvements in the sensitivity of next-generation gamma-ray telescopes, which is well timed with the growing excitement for science uniquely enabled with observations of the high-energy sky. In this talk, Dr. Carolyn Kierans will present current development efforts towards next-generation gamma-ray telescopes, with a focus on the achievements through the NASA scientific balloon program. She will discuss the path towards answering long-standing questions in gamma-ray astrophysics.

Dan Zafra of Capture the Atlas presents:   Wide-field astrophotography Dan Zafra will share his approach to wide field photography, drawing on years of experience as a professional landscape astrophotographer and founder of Capture the Atlas, a leading online photography resource. His talk will cover the planning, shooting, and processing techniques he developed through deep immersion […]

NOVAC member Alex Gorbachev will explain how you can image planets and deep-sky objects with a single rig and a unified setup. In this talk, he will take you through a multi-year journey that led to the development of two versatile imaging systems capable of operating both in the field and remotely, supporting high-resolution planetary imaging as well as deep-sky astrophotography.His goal is to encourage experimentation. He will share what worked, what did not, and the lessons learned along the way. This presentation offers practical ideas and proven solutions that may help you refine your own setup and push further in this challenging and rewarding hobby.

Dr. Jacob Turner presents:   Neutron Stars: Nature’s Most Versatile Laboratories Neutron stars are ultra-dense, rapidly spinning objects born in the violent deaths of more massive stars. Smaller on average than Manhattan, these stars have proven to be among the most multifaceted naturally occurring laboratories every found, with applications ranging from studying the structure of the […]