Coconino Astronomical Society: General Meeting – NASA’s EZIE Mission

CAS Monthly Meetings and Astronomical Programs are held the Saturday closest to the Full Moon at the Mars Hill Campus of Lowell Observatory, Hendricks Center for Planetary Studies Auditorium (6:45 pm – 8:00 pm., unless otherwise noted) followed by refreshments, and informal discussion. Meetings are open free to the public.

Presenter: Tom Tomas

Title: “ NASA’s EZIE Mission”

From our Earth-bound perspective, we will begin by examining our relationship between Earth, Sun, Self, and Shadow. Next, we will study our closest star as a natural system. Thirdly, and most importantly, we will examine the Earth as a natural system and its interactions with solar weather. The evening presentation will focus on the NASA EZIE mission that the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory leads. The EZIE satellites, which are yet to be launched, will gather data above the north and south magnetic poles, with magnetometers on the ground, across the globe, providing multiple points of reference to better understand Earth’s magnetosphere and its reactions to solar weather.

Bio: Tom is an experienced educator of over 30 years with a Master’s degree in Bilingual/Multicultural Education from NAU, who currently teaches, coordinates STREAM Programs, serves as a lead teacher, and is a MakerPlace Outreach Specialist at Little Singer Community School. He facilitates educational outreach while working with eight diverse indigenous community schools covering NASA missions: Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE), Parker Solar Probe (PSP), and Dragonfly.