Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. upcoming events

AAC Monthly Meeting (14 Jul 2026)

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Agenda:

7:00 - 7:15 General Meeting & Announcements
7:15 - 7:30 Members Corner:

7:30 - 7:45 Refreshment break

7:45 - Public Presentation

If you can't attend in person

-ZOOM LINK -

https://sfcollege.zoom.us/j/96665218735?pwd=NVNyaTdkMEo5ejdHVFZpeERXZ3Zadz09

Speaker: Dr. Rachael Seidler - Director, Astraeus Space Institute

Topic: Spaceflight Impacts the Human Brain and Operational Performance

Dr. Rachael Seidler is a full professor in the departments of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology and Neurology at the University of Florida. She obtained her PhD in 1999 from Arizona State University in Kinesiology and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Brain Sciences Center at the University of Minnesota and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Before joining the University of Florida in 2017, Seidler was an assistant, associate, and full professor in the Departments of Psychology and Movement Science at the University of Michigan. Seidler studies co-constructive brain and behavioral changes, particularly in the realms of aging and human spaceflight. She has led several large-scale research projects funded by the NIH (U and R awards), NSF, NASA and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), requiring coordination across multiple locations for longitudinal data collections. Seidler also served for several years as the NSBRI’s Sensorimotor Adaptation Team Lead, responsible for coordination and communication across all the Institute’s funded sensorimotor projects in the US. She has published close to 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts in journals such as Science, Lancet Neurology, and PNAS, with her work cited >17,000 times. Moreover, she has garnered close to $20 million in funding for her research. Her space research focuses on adaptive and dysfunctional changes to the human brain and behavior with space travel.

Dr. Seidler’s role in the Astraeus Space Institute is to facilitate UF faculty space research success. She plans events to help faculty identify how their research fits into funding opportunities within NASA, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), and other national and international agencies. She also helps faculty to identify potential collaborators to move their space research forward and creates networking events to enable more cross talk and cross disciplinary collaboration. One of her major goals for the Astraeus Space Institute is to foster more synergy between aerospace engineering research at UF and biological / physiological sciences.

Abstract:

Emerging plans for travel to Mars and other deep space destinations make it critical for us to understand how spaceflight affects the human brain and behavior. Moreover, studying adaptation to the microgravity environment provides insight into how the central nervous system responds to an environment for which it has not evolved. I will share findings from my work indicating that the spaceflight environment induces adverse effects on the brain, including intracranial fluid shifts and gray and white matter changes. I will also present evidence that adaptive processes co-occur with these brain position and intracranial fluid shifts and describe how spaceflight-associated brain changes link to sensorimotor performance.

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Member's Corner Speaker: Orlando Barros

Topic: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Pupniks

Chiefland Dark Sky Star Party (1 Aug 2026)

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 23:30:00 GMT

Exclusively for AAC members!

AAC has organized a dark sky star party at one of the darkest skies on the east coast!

Sunset is 8:23 pm.

Arrive at least one hour before sunset for setup and to get familiar with the observing field before dark.

PLEASE review the Star Party etiquette for Chiefland. http://shorturl.at/cgkMO

You need to register to attend and receive directions to observing field.

Event Alerts - Members please register to attend. A "GO" or "NO GO" will be emailed to registrants by noon the day of the event. Your need to be registered for me to send you updates! Also, please double check weather conditions before heading out to Chiefland.

AAC Monthly Meeting (11 Aug 2026)

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Agenda:

7:00 - 7:15 General Meeting & Announcements
7:15 - 7:30 Members Corner:

7:30 - 7:45 Refreshment break

7:45 - Public Presentation

If you can't attend in person

-ZOOM LINK -

https://sfcollege.zoom.us/j/96665218735?pwd=NVNyaTdkMEo5ejdHVFZpeERXZ3Zadz09

Speaker:

James Albury

Planetarium Manager

Kika Silva Pla Planetarium - Santa Fe College

Topic:

Planetarium Show:

Abstract: (Pending)

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Member's Corner Speaker:

Topic:

AAC Monthly Meeting (8 Sep 2026)

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Agenda:

7:00 - 7:15 General Meeting & Announcements
7:15 - 7:30 Members Corner:

7:30 - 7:45 Refreshment break

7:45 - Public Presentation

If you can't attend in person

-ZOOM LINK -

https://sfcollege.zoom.us/j/96665218735?pwd=NVNyaTdkMEo5ejdHVFZpeERXZ3Zadz09

Speaker:

Sarah Coates

University Archivist

University of Florida

Topic:

Abstract: (Pending)

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Member's Corner Speaker:

Topic:

AAC Monthly Meeting (13 Oct 2026)

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Agenda:

7:00 - 7:15 General Meeting & Announcements
7:15 - 7:30 Members Corner:

7:30 - 7:45 Refreshment break

7:45 - Public Presentation

If you can't attend in person

-ZOOM LINK -

https://sfcollege.zoom.us/j/96665218735?pwd=NVNyaTdkMEo5ejdHVFZpeERXZ3Zadz09

Speaker:

Dr. Marla Geha

Professor of Astronomy and Physics

Yale University

Topic:

The RASA Survey of Galaxies

Abstract: (Pending)

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Member's Corner Speaker:

Topic:

AAC Monthly Meeting (10 Nov 2026)

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Agenda:

7:00 - 7:15 General Meeting & Announcements
7:15 - 7:30 Members Corner:

7:30 - 7:45 Refreshment break

7:45 - Public Presentation

If you can't attend in person

-ZOOM LINK -

https://sfcollege.zoom.us/j/96665218735?pwd=NVNyaTdkMEo5ejdHVFZpeERXZ3Zadz09

Speaker:

James Albury

Planetarium Manager

Kika Silva Pla Planetarium - Santa Fe College

Topic:

Planetarium Show:

Abstract: (Pending)

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Member's Corner Speaker: Terry Dickensheet

Topic: