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• PALS at Monnik

  • When
    Wed, November 04, 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Monnik Louisville, 1036 E Burnett Ave Louisville, KY, United States, Kentucky 40217

  PALS is the acronym for the Public Astronomy Lecture Series, hosted by the UofL dept. of Physics and Astronomy. 

  Monnik is a restaurant that offers the department use of its upstairs room for these lectures monthly. When you arrive go to the bar and grab a beer and order food. Tell the bartender that you're here for the lecture upstairs, and he/she will give you a number to display by your seat upstairs where the waiter will bring your food.

  This Month: How Galaxies Make Stars? Not as Smooth as You Think.

  Galaxies may look calm and orderly in images, but star formation is far more dynamic than what is seen. How can we tell where stars are forming, and can we know whether a galaxy has been forming stars at a steady rate or has recently changed its pace?

  In this talk, we will explore how astronomers investigate histories of galaxies by studying their light. Moving beyond photometric images, we will look at how spectroscopy allows us to identify signatures of star formation and turn light into physical measurements. We will explore how different tracers, such as H-alpha emission and ultraviolet light, reveal complementary clues about a galaxy’s recent activity.

  Building on my own research using galaxy spectra, I will discuss how we measure star-formation rates, what these measurements can tell us, and why uncertainties and dust makes the process more complicated than it first appears. We will understand how astronomers are working to investigate why galaxies form stars at different rates, how their activity changes over time, and what these changes might reveal about their evolution.

  
  

  Shikha Pandey, University of Louisville

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• Public Night at Curby

  • When
    Sat, November 14, 2026
  •  
    5:00 PM - 11:59 PM
  • Location
    Curby

  We welcome the Public to join us at the James G. Baker Center for Astronomy  in Curby, Indiana, one hour away from Louisville. Tonight the Waxing Crescent Moon will be 25% illuminated and 5 days old in this lunation for observing through our telescopes. Saturn will also be visible for viewing tonight.

  This event is weather dependent so conditions may cause cancellation. 
  

  Map to Curby

  The LAS welcomes one and all at our Star Parties. If you have a scope and are having trouble figuring out how to use it, please feel free to bring it to our public Star Party.

  The LAS is an IRC §501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Donations are welcome.

  May your scope and skies be clear at the same time. Hope to see you there.

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• LAS General Meeting

  • When
    Fri, November 20, 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Epiphany Catholic Church Youth Center

  At the Friday, November 20, monthly meeting our guest speakers shall be two of our members, Aaron Hellems and Karl Schmidt, reporting on the “Messier Marathon” held at Curby last March.

  The 2026 Messier Marathon from Curby

  This presentation is a conversation describing the experience of attempting the Messier Marathon from the LAS dark sky site in Curby, Indiana in March of 2026. The following will be discussed:

  • Charles Messier 

  • Creators of the Messier Marathon 

  • Description of the Messier Marathon 

  • Deciding if you are ready for an attempt 

  • When to do it

  • How to do it

  • Equipment used

  • Pitfalls and tricky objects

  Our presenters, Karl and Aaron are LAS Members, faint fuzzy hunters, and avid amateur astronomers. They enjoy visual astronomy for its challenges and rewards. Both have been observing the Messier Objects for years. Karl has been an amateur astronomer most of his life and has made thousands of detailed observations of deep sky objects. Aaron came into astronomy later in life, but has been observing the night sky carefully for about 10 years. 

  This meeting will be live-steamed on youTube at this link:

  https://youtube.com/live/Ywr6NANHkpg?feature=share
  

  Non-members are welcome to attend as well as those with questions about using their telescope. Someone will be willing to help you out. Feel free to bring your scope along.

  Our meeting is at a new venue, The Youth Center at Epiphany Catholic Church on 914 Old Harrods Creek Rd in Anchorage.  Here is the Google map link https://maps.app.goo.gl/aGKhcTDCt3YFjzgh6

  

  
  

  
  

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• PALS at Monnik

  • When
    Wed, December 02, 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Monnik Louisville, 1036 E Burnett Ave Louisville, KY, United States, Kentucky 40217

  PALS is the acronym for the Public Astronomy Lecture Series, hosted by the UofL dept. of Physics and Astronomy. 

  Monnik is a restaurant that offers the department use of its upstairs room for these lectures monthly. When you arrive go to the bar and grab a beer and order food. Tell the bartender that you're here for the lecture upstairs, and he/she will give you a number to display by your seat upstairs where the waiter will bring your food.

  This month: The First Astronomers - Observing the Skies in Ancient Times

  Lutz Haberzettl - University of Louisville

  
  

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• PALS at Monnik

  • When
    Wed, January 06, 2027
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Monnik Louisville, 1036 E Burnett Ave Louisville, KY, United States, Kentucky 40217

  PALS is the acronym for the Public Astronomy Lecture Series, hosted by the UofL dept. of Physics and Astronomy. 

  Monnik is a restaurant that offers the department use of its upstairs room for these lectures monthly. When you arrive go to the bar and grab a beer and order food. Tell the bartender that you're here for the lecture upstairs, and he/she will give you a number to display by your seat upstairs where the waiter will bring your food.

  This month: Chicken & Eggs, Bars and Gas: which comes first?

  Nate Sparrow, University of Louisville

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• PALS at Monnik

  • When
    Wed, February 03, 2027
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Monnik Louisville, 1036 E Burnett Ave Louisville, KY, United States, Kentucky 40217

  PALS is the acronym for the Public Astronomy Lecture Series, hosted by the UofL dept. of Physics and Astronomy. 

  Monnik is a restaurant that offers the department use of its upstairs room for these lectures monthly. When you arrive go to the bar and grab a beer and order food. Tell the bartender that you're here for the lecture upstairs, and he/she will give you a number to display by your seat upstairs where the waiter will bring your food.

  Topic to be announced

  Benne Holwerda - University of Louisville

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• PALS at Monnik

  • When
    Wed, March 03, 2027
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Monnik Louisville, 1036 E Burnett Ave Louisville, KY, United States, Kentucky 40217

  PALS is the acronym for the Public Astronomy Lecture Series, hosted by the UofL dept. of Physics and Astronomy. 

  Monnik is a restaurant that offers the department use of its upstairs room for these lectures monthly. When you arrive go to the bar and grab a beer and order food. Tell the bartender that you're here for the lecture upstairs, and he/she will give you a number to display by your seat upstairs where the waiter will bring your food.

  This month: Current Space News

  Gerard Williger - University of Louisville

  
  

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• PALS at Monnik

  • When
    Wed, April 07, 2027
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Monnik Louisville, 1036 E Burnett Ave Louisville, KY, United States, Kentucky 40217

  PALS is the acronym for the Public Astronomy Lecture Series, hosted by the UofL dept. of Physics and Astronomy. 

  Monnik is a restaurant that offers the department use of its upstairs room for these lectures monthly. When you arrive go to the bar and grab a beer and order food. Tell the bartender that you're here for the lecture upstairs, and he/she will give you a number to display by your seat upstairs where the waiter will bring your food.

  This month: Grimaldi Goofed: How the astronomer who discovered diffraction failed to realize that it applies to telescopes

  Chris Graney - Vatican Observatory

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