Next Meeting
2025 General Meeting Topics and Speakers
Past Meeting: Multi-Epoch HST Imaging of a Shock Front in the Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnant – January 16th, 2025
Presenter: Dr. Ravi Sankrit, Associate Scientist, Instruments Division, STScI (And Annual Meeting Elections)
Meeting PDF YouTube Video of Meeting Chat Log
The meeting took place at 7 PM at the Robinson Nature Center
Abstract: Supernova explosions drive shocks into the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) heating it to high temperatures. Centuries to millennia after the explosion, the shock-excited gas emits copiously at optical wavelengths, and it is these emitting nebulae that we know as supernova remnants (SNRs). One of the best known and best studied SNRs, which often serves as a textbook example, is the Cygnus Loop. In this talk I will present the results of a temporal study based on HST narrowband images, obtained about two decades apart, of a faint shock front that lies along the north-east limb of the Cygnus Loop. I will describe the background and context for our study and highlight how HST and other telescopes have opened up new vistas for the exploration of SNR shocks and their impact on the ISM.
Bio: Ravi Sankrit obtained his PhD from Arizona State University, working on some of the early narrowband images obtained with HST/WFPC2, including those of the Crab Nebula and the Eagle Nebula (the original “Pillars of Creation” image). He then moved to the Johns Hopkins University as a post-doctoral fellow, and stayed on for several years as part of the Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) science team. After FUSE, Ravi moved across the country to work at the Space Sciences Laboratory (UC Berkeley) and then at the SOFIA Science Center in Moffett Field, California. He came back to Baltimore in 2017 and has since been an Instrument Scientist on the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) team. He studies emission line nebulae – from the compact regions around symbiotic stars to large-scale superbubbles, with a particular focus on supernova remnants.
Past Meeting: February 20th, 2025 – AI-based Surveying of Exoplanet Atmospheres
Presenter: Dr. Reza Ashtari, Exoplanet Astronomer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Artifacts: Meeting PDF YouTube Video of Meeting Chat Log
The meeting took place at 7 PM at the Robinson Nature Center .
Abstract: Producing optimized and accurate transmission spectra from telescope data is a manual and labor-intensive process. Using artificial-intelligence-based processing, we automate and optimize the data reduction and model-fitting required for processing light curves and spectroscopic data from exoplanet transits with the Eureka! pipeline for Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations.
Using AI-based processing of HST transit observations, we present a standardized, homogeneous survey of exoplanet atmospheres. Spanning a range of exoplanet-types from hot Jupiters to sub-Neptunes, this AI-enabled science provides one of the most comprehensive surveys of exoplanet atmospheres to date. Using this tool to perform large-scale, data-driven comparative exoplanetology, we have identified long-sought after trends in cloud-formation for both the Jovian and Neptune/sub-Neptune regimes of exoplanets.
Bio: Reza is an exoplanet astronomer at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He received his PhD in Electromagnetics from Auburn University in 2016 and has served various science and engineering roles since starting at APL in 2016. His work focuses on exoplanet atmospheres & magnetic fields using ground and space-based telescopes (from optical to radio), technosignatures, and extending NASA’s Deep Space Network capability. He has served various roles on NASA’s New Horizons, Dragonfly and Interstellar Probe missions.
Past Meeting: March 20th, 2025 – Shedding Light on the Dark Side of the Universe
Presenter: Dr. Rutuparna Das, Astrophysicist with the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Artifacts: Meeting PDF YouTube Video of Meeting Chat Log
The meeting took place at 7 PM at the Robinson Nature Center and on Zoom.
Topic: Shedding Light on the Dark Side of the Universe
Brief description of the Discussion:
Our universe is expanding. Not only is it getting bigger and bigger, it’s accelerating. This mind-boggling revelation of the 90’s has opened up a treasure trove of questions about our cosmos. What is causing this acceleration? Will the universe always behave like this, or will it someday start slowing down? And how do we find out?
This last question is more complicated than it may seem at first glance. “Dark Energy” is the name given to the cause of the universe’s acceleration. We cannot see it, and we do not know much about what it is. To try to comprehend its effect on our cosmos, we turn to Dark Matter, yet another component of the universe that we cannot see. How do we quantify this invisible matter, use it to understand this invisible energy, and then use that to explore the fate of our universe?
Bio: Rutuparna Das is an astrophysicist and science communicator who spends her time learning about the universe and sharing its wonders with everyone around her. After going to undergrad at MIT, she completed her PhD at the University of Michigan, where she worked on weighing clusters of galaxies and figuring out what the cosmos is made of. She’s now at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, spreading the joys of space through NASA’s Universe of Learning, and continuing her research into the composition of the universe. When she’s not staring at the sky (both with her naked eyes and through data from giant telescopes), she enjoys reading, crafting crazy desserts, taking an inordinate number of nature photos, and writing (sometimes silly) poetry about the cosmos.
Past Meeting: April 17th, 2025 – STELLA (Science and Technology Education for Land / Life Assessment): A low-cost open-source remote sensing instruments for education and research
Presenter: Mike Taylor, Outreach Scientist, SSAI, NASA Goddard on the Landsat Communications and Public Engagement team
Artifacts: Meeting PDF YouTube Video of Meeting Chat Log
The meeting took place on April 17, 2025 at 7 PM on Zoom and at the Robinson Nature Center
STELLA combines inexpensive sensors with user-friendly software and 3D-printable housings to produce lightweight, handheld instruments whose components retail for approximately $200, and whose weight, depending on configuration, ranges from 33 to 450g. Some of the STELLA instruments can be built without any tools at all, by simply connecting components with inexpensive, commercially available cables. Each version of STELLA is supported with illustrated, step-by-step instructions, and programmed by drag-and-drop copying. STELLA instruments’ small size, low-cost, and ease of assembly make them ideal for scientific and educational applications where deployment across many users is important, and STELLA’s multi-platform software allows users with a wide range of scientific and technical knowledge to collect, download, and interpret data from any STELLA instrument.
Bio: Mike Taylor has been working at NASA Goddard on the Landsat Communications and Public Engagement team as a contractor with SSAI for 17 years. He holds an undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of Maryland College Park is co-lead of the Climate Change Research Initiative Education Ambassadors and board member of Clean Air Partners. For the past 3 years he has been working to help develop and inform others about the STELLA project.
Past Meeting: May 15th, 2025 – Science on Mount Wilson’s 100″ Hooker telescope – Restarting research on a historic instrument
Presenter: Dale Ghent, Member of STELAR, NINA contributor and plugin author
Artifacts: Meeting PDF YouTube Video of Meeting Chat Log
The meeting took place on May 15, 2025 at 7 PM on Zoom and at the Robinson Nature Center .
Recognizing the telescope’s ongoing potential for producing valuable scientific data, the Institute for Student Astronomical Research (InStAR), Boyce-Astro, and the Small/Scientific Telescope Engineering Learning and Astronomical Research (STELAR) organizations, in collaboration with the Mount Wilson Institute, have initiated a project to adapt it for speckle interferometry of double stars. This initiative aims to reinstate the Hooker Telescope for regular scientific observations, with undergraduate students leading the research and gaining hands-on experience while using a historic instrument.
This talk will explore the challenges of adapting a 108-year-old telescope for speckle imaging, showcase engineering highlights and scientific results from these efforts, and discuss the exciting potential for the telescope’s future as a dual-purpose tool for both astronomy research and public outreach.
Past HAL Monthly Meeting: June 19, 2025 -ALPHA Observatory, Near-Earth Asteroid Detection and Automation
Presenter: Marcel Mabson
Professor Of Practice, Astronautical and Space Engineering
Artifacts: Meeting PDF YouTube Video of Meeting
The meeting took place on June 19, 2025 at 7 PM on Zoom and at the Robinson Nature Center .
Prof. Mabson earned his B.S in Astronautical Engineering from Capitol Technology University in 2010 and has supported over 20 NASA and commercial space missions, including Landsat, GOES, LRO and Cygnus. Since joining Capitol in 2015, Prof. Mabson has supported the Space Flight Operations Training Center, ALPHA Observatory, and various projects to support the next generation of engineers and provide mentorships to prospective and enrolled students. Prof. Mabson has earned various awards, including Faculty of the year, Landsat and GOES-R Group achievement.
In the Solar System, humanity has cataloged over 1.4 million asteroids since the discovery of asteroid Ceres in 1801 and each year, scientists catalog an additional 10,000. Each year, many of these objects known as Near Earth Objects (NEO) come close to Earth’s orbit and most are never detected until after a close approach. With many large astronomical observatories committed to other stellar research the task of performing follow-up studies after initial discovery falls on universities and advanced amateur astronomers. The ALPHA Observatory, located on Capitol Technology campus, is a remote automated observatory that monitors between 20 and 40 asteroids and NEO objects per night and submits tracking and rotation data to the Mirror Planet Center (MPC), ALPHA also performs orbit determination post-detection and follow-up to ensure targets remain a safe distance from Earth. In addition to asteroid detection ALPHA performs variable star studies such as Cepheids and eclipsing star systems. The observatory also performs follow-up detection of newly discovered hot Jupiter exoplanets and hosts a monthly Night with ALPHA program to engage prospective students and the university community.
Past Meeting July 17, 2025 – Presentations: The Retina and Observing, Observing and Astronomical Drawing
Presenters: Richard Orr and Chris Todd
Artifacts: Meeting PDF YouTube Video of Meeting
The meeting took place on July 17, 2025 at 7 PM on Zoom and at the Robinson Nature Center .
We enjoyed two great speakers and diverse topics:
• Chris Todd giving a presentation on the retina (20 minutes)
• Rich Orr speaking about his process for Astronomical Drawing (20 minutes)
Past HAL Public Meeting: August 21, 2025 – NASA Balloon Program Operations
Presenter: Andrew Hamilton
Deputy Chief, NASA Balloon Program Office
Artifacts: Meeting PDF YouTube Video of Meeting
The meeting took place on August 21, 2025 at 7 PM on Zoom and at the Robinson Nature Center .
Andrew Hamilton is currently serving as the Deputy Chief for the NASA Balloon Program having previously served as the Acting Chief of the program. Mr. Hamilton started his career with NASA at Johnson Space Center serving as an Astronaut Instructor for the Space Shuttle program as well as a Space Shuttle Flight Controller. Transferring to Wallops Flight Facility in 2012, he served as a Range Safety Officer before joining the balloon program in 2021.
Mr. Hamilton will discuss the mission, platforms, and operations involved with stratospheric scientific balloons.
HAL Public Meeting: September 11, 2025 – Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS)
Presenter: Medhi Benna, PhD
Planetary Scientist, NASA
Lunar Environment Monitoring Station for Artemis 3 (LEMS-A3) – Principal Investigator
Mehdi Benna, PhD
The meeting will take place on September 11, 2025 at 7 PM on Zoom and at the Robinson Nature Center.
Featured Speaker: Mehdi Benna, Planetary Scientist with NASA at GSFC will be talking about the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS), one of the first three payloads to be a part of Artemis III that will send astronauts to explore the region near the lunar South Pole. Artemis III, currently planned to launch in 2026, will be the first time humans will return to the Moon’s surface since the historic Apollo program in 1969-1972. The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) is a compact, autonomous seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term monitoring of the seismic environment, namely ground motion from moonquakes to meteorite impacts in the lunar south polar region. The instrument will characterize the regional structure of the Moon’s crust and mantle, which will add valuable information to lunar formation and evolution models.
SeeStar Very Small Array Update: Matthew Peters will join us to give a status update on the targets for this month and how to get involved with using your SeeStar (or other EAA scope) to help create some amazing collaborative results.
Star Party Report: Rich & Millie Russin will share their recent experience attending this year’s Grand Canyon Star Party.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Benna is a planetary scientist with a research emphasis in plasma physics and planetary magnetospheres dynamics.
Dr. Benna’s main research interest is the numerical modeling of planetary magnetospheres and exospheres. Besides his scientific work, he uses his engineering experience to lead and support the development of several space-borne instruments (ROSETTA-CONSERT, CONTOUR-NGIMS, MSL-SAM, LADEE-NMS, MAVEN-NGIMS, CLPS-SEAL, GDC-MoSAIC, and Artemis III/LEMS). Dr. Benna has authored or coauthored more than 100 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, and more than 200 communications or invited presentations in international conferences related to the field of planetary science. His publications include articles on MHD modeling of planetary magnetospheres, comets and icy moons of the solar system, radiotomography techniques, and ill-posed inverse problems.
Dr. Benna received his degree in Electrical Engineering from the Engineering School of Tunis (ENIT) in 1999. After obtaining a M.Sc. in Radio-wave Telecommunication from the University of Tunis in 2000, he received in 2002 a Ph.D. in Space Science from the University of Toulouse in France. From 2002 to 2003, Dr. Benna was an associate scientist at the Planetary and Terrestrial Geophysics Laboratory (CNRS) in France, and from 2003 to 2006, he was an NRC postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
