Skylark Speaker Series
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Skylark Speaker Series
In the monthly speaker series, special guests bring the most relevant topics in space science and astronomy to the Planetarium. Reception at 6 p.m., talk at 7 p.m, followed by a Q&A session. Telescope nights start at 8:30 pm and are scheduled to follow our Skylark Speaker Series events.
Website https://orangecoastcollege.edu/community/planetarium/events/skylark-speaker-series.html
Calendar https://orangecoastcollege.edu/community/planetarium/calendar-tickets.html
Admission is free, but seats in the Dome Theater are limited. Seating is on a first come, first served basis, and the dome theater can only accommodate 124 people. The first 124 guests will be given a wristband for entry. Reservations are encouraged but not required. Check-in will begin at 6pm.
Public Telescope Nights https://orangecoastcollege.edu/community/planetarium/events/star-parties.html are held monthly after Skylark guest lecture and during special celestial events like eclipses and comet sightings. Viewing may be canceled due to weather conditions. Check calendar for last minute updates.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Trevor Weiss, New Mexico State University, Mt Wilson Observatory
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: A Wider View of the Universe
For nearly four decades, space telescopes such as Hubble and James Webb have transformed our understanding of the universe, revealing everything from the birth of stars to galaxies billions of light-years away. NASA's next major mission, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, will continue that legacy by combining near infrared observations with a field of view 100 times larger than Hubble's. This powerful combination will allow Roman to survey vast regions of the universe, creating enormous catalogs of exoplanets, stars, and galaxies that will drive discoveries across astrophysics. In this talk, I'll introduce the Roman Space Telescope, discuss its capabilities, planned surveys, and highlight some of the exciting science it is designed to achieve. I'll also discuss Roman's unique ability to measure oscillations, or "stellar heartbeats", in red giant stars in the Milky Way bulge. By probing the interiors and ages of these stars, Roman will help us reconstruct how our galaxy formed and evolved.
Trevor Weiss is a first-year PhD student in astronomy at New Mexico State University. His research uses asteroseismology to characterize stellar populations across the Milky Way and reconstruct its formation history through Galactic archaeology. Trevor first developed a passion for astronomy as a student at Orange Coast College, where he worked with Dr. Jerome Fang and collaborators to study the relationship between galaxy morphology, gas content, and star formation quenching. During his time at OCC, Trevor also served as Project Coordinator for the OCC Planetarium, coordinating K-12 field trips and helping organize community astronomy events. After transferring to California State University, Long Beach, Trevor earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics with departmental honors in 2026. While there, he joined the Roman Asteroseismology Wide Field Science Team, where he models the expected asteroseismic yield of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. He also worked as a long-term visitor at Carnegie Observatories, developing chemical evolution models of accreted dwarf galaxies to investigate the Milky Way's merger history. Trevor remains passionate about science communication and outreach, regularly engaging with students and the public through astronomy education and community events.
Friday, November 6, 2026
Dr. Evan Nunez, Carnegie Observatories
Friday, December 4, 2026
TBD
In the monthly speaker series, special guests bring the most relevant topics in space science and astronomy to the Planetarium. Reception at 6 p.m., talk at 7 p.m, followed by a Q&A session. Telescope nights start at 8:30 pm and are scheduled to follow our Skylark Speaker Series events.
Website https://orangecoastcollege.edu/community/planetarium/events/skylark-speaker-series.html
Calendar https://orangecoastcollege.edu/community/planetarium/calendar-tickets.html
Admission is free, but seats in the Dome Theater are limited. Seating is on a first come, first served basis, and the dome theater can only accommodate 124 people. The first 124 guests will be given a wristband for entry. Reservations are encouraged but not required. Check-in will begin at 6pm.
Public Telescope Nights https://orangecoastcollege.edu/community/planetarium/events/star-parties.html are held monthly after Skylark guest lecture and during special celestial events like eclipses and comet sightings. Viewing may be canceled due to weather conditions. Check calendar for last minute updates.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Trevor Weiss, New Mexico State University, Mt Wilson Observatory
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: A Wider View of the Universe
For nearly four decades, space telescopes such as Hubble and James Webb have transformed our understanding of the universe, revealing everything from the birth of stars to galaxies billions of light-years away. NASA's next major mission, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, will continue that legacy by combining near infrared observations with a field of view 100 times larger than Hubble's. This powerful combination will allow Roman to survey vast regions of the universe, creating enormous catalogs of exoplanets, stars, and galaxies that will drive discoveries across astrophysics. In this talk, I'll introduce the Roman Space Telescope, discuss its capabilities, planned surveys, and highlight some of the exciting science it is designed to achieve. I'll also discuss Roman's unique ability to measure oscillations, or "stellar heartbeats", in red giant stars in the Milky Way bulge. By probing the interiors and ages of these stars, Roman will help us reconstruct how our galaxy formed and evolved.
Trevor Weiss is a first-year PhD student in astronomy at New Mexico State University. His research uses asteroseismology to characterize stellar populations across the Milky Way and reconstruct its formation history through Galactic archaeology. Trevor first developed a passion for astronomy as a student at Orange Coast College, where he worked with Dr. Jerome Fang and collaborators to study the relationship between galaxy morphology, gas content, and star formation quenching. During his time at OCC, Trevor also served as Project Coordinator for the OCC Planetarium, coordinating K-12 field trips and helping organize community astronomy events. After transferring to California State University, Long Beach, Trevor earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics with departmental honors in 2026. While there, he joined the Roman Asteroseismology Wide Field Science Team, where he models the expected asteroseismic yield of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. He also worked as a long-term visitor at Carnegie Observatories, developing chemical evolution models of accreted dwarf galaxies to investigate the Milky Way's merger history. Trevor remains passionate about science communication and outreach, regularly engaging with students and the public through astronomy education and community events.
Friday, November 6, 2026
Dr. Evan Nunez, Carnegie Observatories
Friday, December 4, 2026
TBD
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Where is it happening?
OCC Planetarium, Lot E - Occ, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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