Monthly Meeting | NoCoAstro

Our monthly meeting will be held on Thursday, October 1st at the Fort Collins Museum Of Discover in the Otterbox Dome Theater. The meeting officially starts at 6:15pm but feel free to show up early for social time. We will have refreshments and snacks available at 5:45pm. Afterwards at 8:00pm, members are invited to dinner at Penrose Taphouse & Eatery. Contact Greg Halac if you are interested. Reservations are limited.

Nikhil Patten: Mass-Loss Rates for OB Stars at the Center of Bowshock Nebulae

Synopsis: OB stars are sites of nucleosynthesis and the progenitor objects to black holes and neutron stars. O and B stars are also hosts to some of the most energetic phenomena in the Universe. A subset of OB stars power bowshock nebulae formed from the interaction of their stellar winds and the surrounding Interstellar Medium (ISM). My talk centers on this interesting subset of OB stars. I will share what stellar bowshock nebulae are and how they are formed, what I've learned so far while doing my dissertation, and my personal journey as an amateur astrophotographer and astronomy enthusiast.

Bio: I am a sixth-year graduate student in Astronomy at the University of Wyoming and originally from New Jersey. I am also an avid amateur astrophotographer. I love mixing my hobbies and my work by imaging the stars that I study for my dissertation with my personal 200mm telescope. I also enjoy chess! I hope to become a professor in Physics and Astronomy after I defend this spring.

Monthly Meeting General Info

Regular club meetings are currently held at the Otterbox Digital Dome Theater in the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, and are scheduled for the 1st Thursday of every month. Please verify the meeting date and location on the calendar and find out what we have planned. The business portion of the meeting is scheduled for 15 minutes starting at 6:15pm although members often show up early at 5:45pm for social time ... and snacks. :-) Regular topics include:

Announcements on upcoming NCAS events: speakers, stargazing, outreaching, etc.
Brief updates from the club president, treasurer and outreach coordinator.
Items of general interest as shared by members and visitors.

After the business meeting, speakers present an astronomy-related program beginning at 6:30pm. It is free of charge and the public is welcome. Talks are typically geared towards people with a high-school science background but the level does vary. Feel free to contact a club officer for guidance if the target level is not apparent from the talk description. Talks typically last for 45 minutes. Questions are usually welcome both during and after the talk.

NoCoAstro invites speakers to be our guest for dinner immediately after the club meeting. Dinner details are sent to the “club-news” email list shortly before the meeting. Dinner provides a great opportunity to welcome and get to know our speaker. Typically ~10 club members usually attend.

NoCoAstro greatly appreciates the members and experts in the Northern Colorado region who have taken the time to share their knowledge with the public and the club.