Get ready for a fun crossover of astronomy and pop culture! For our next meeting, longtime member Maddelena Romano is returning for her third club talk.  Join us as she presents “Real Stars of Sci-Fi: Mapping Science Fiction Planets.” Ever wonder if Luke’s home planet of Tatooine could really have two suns? Or if the harsh winters on Game of Thrones have a scientific explanation? Maddelena will apply real astronomical concepts to map out and critique the worlds from our favorite books and movies.  It’s a perfect blend of science and storytelling. Come with your curiosity and your favorite fictional world in mind!

We are exceptionally fortunate that Dr. Rivolo—or Rex, as we hope he’ll let us call him—has chosen to join our ASLI community. He brings a lifetime of unique experience that perfectly positions him to guide us on a tour of our place in the cosmos.

An astrophysicist who earned his Ph.D. in 1981, Rex began his career with a postdoctoral fellowship at the Space Telescope Science Institute . His perspective, however, is truly one-of-a-kind. Before his work in science, he served as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam conflict and later as a rescue helicopter pilot, logging over 7,000 flight hours in total . He later applied his analytical mind as an advisor on advanced tactical aircraft and spacecraft for the U.S. Department of Defense . In this talk, “You are Here,” Rex will bridge these worlds. He’ll use the precise, large-scale understanding of an astrophysicist and the practical, navigational skills of a pilot to help us truly comprehend our “cosmic address.” This is a fantastic opportunity not only to learn about the universe but also to get to know a remarkable new member of our club.

This is an ASLI Club Observing Night, open to everyone!  We set up in the parking lot of the Vanderbilt Museum and the parking lot lights are turned off for us for the evening. Bring your telescope or binoculars to our public observing session, or look through our telescopes which we set up for everyone to look through.  We can show you some of the wonderful objects in the night sky during the evening.  We will only have this observing session if there are perfectly clear skies, however.  Check this website the day of this event before coming to the event, just to make sure it has not been cancelled because of weather

In this talk Fred will explore how A.I. can be used to elucidate two areas of astronomy in which he has recently published papers. One of these is the troubling backward rotation of Venus. The other is the correlation between the occurrence of sunspots and the collective motion of the Jovian planets. A.I. will be used to generate slides and actual data calculations. One of these papers is titled “Correlations Between the Rotations and Magnetospheres of the Terrestrial Planets and the Sun’s Formation in Our Solar System” (2022) and the other is “Jovian Planet Influence on the Forcing of Sunspot Cycles” (2024) both published in the World Journal of Condensed Matter Physics. Fred Cadieu has been a member of ASLI for about 25 years. He is currently an Emeritus Professor in the Physics Department of Queens College of CUNY. He holds BS, MS, and PhD Degrees from the University of Chicago.

Stan Honda served as the photographer coordinating space shuttle mission coverage for Agence France-Presse (AFP) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for five years. His photographs were distributed worldwide via AFP’s network. In this exclusive presentation, he will share a remarkable portfolio from his time covering the program. You will see behind-the-scenes images not normally seen by the public, offering an intimate look at the people, preparations, and power of the shuttle missions. With firsthand experience covering 11 shuttle launches and a total of 15 missions, Stan will provide a personal and photographic history of this pivotal chapter in spaceflight.

Stan Honda worked as a professional photojournalist for 34 years,  first in California then  at New York Newsday and then (AFP), where he covered a wide range of major stories. His distinguished career is marked by significant personal projects, including documenting sites where the Japanese American incarceration in the U.S. during World War II took place. For the last ten years Stan has been creating stunning night sky landscapes in wilderness areas around the country and even in New York City. His dedication to capturing the natural world has led him to serve as an artist-in-residence at seven national parks. His astronomical photography is renowned, with his images being selected 12 times as NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day.