College party focuses on stars

Come to College of the Canyons’ Canyon Country campus Friday, Oct. 12, for an interstellar journey and its 2018 Star Party hosted by Anna Ho, a Caltech graduate student.

The topic in focus for the evening is, “Dirty Fireballs and Orphan Afterglows: A Broader Landscape of Stellar Death,” a subject that Ho is quite passionate about.

Having designed and taught several courses and workshops on math, science, astronomy and cosmology, Ho is a knowledgeable researcher who has studied a rare and extreme case of stellar death that has been published in two of her own works and included in 14 others.

In addition to the presentation, students, faculty and staff from the college will conduct various interactive demonstrations, activity tables and a portable planetarium, according to club leaders. Multiple telescopes will also be set up by local astronomy groups to allow attendees a chance to take a closer look at the night sky.

“Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the college in a way that’s both educational and fun,” said Anthony Michaelides, dean of campus services and operations at the Canyon Country campus. “Our star parties allow our students, faculty and staff to showcase the sciences in a variety of ways, and the timing couldn’t be better with our new science building under construction.”

The fall 2018 Star Party will take place at the Canyon Country campus’ Carl A. Rasmussen Amphitheater, located at 17200 Sierra Highway. The free event is open to the public, and food and beverages will be available for purchase on site.