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Three Stellarium Topics from
Three CAS Members
Daniel Stornetta, Serena Sunderlin, Dave Sappington
Next CAS Meeting
Wednesday, November 4th, 7 pm
at Leander McCormick Observatory -
Daniel Stornetta
Abstract: This presentation will walk through the process of generating a custom landscape in Stellarium manually and semi-automatically. Custom landscapes can help plan ahead for localized obstructions specific to your viewing area. Combined with tools to replicate available equipment, one can increase the likelihood of successful viewing sessions.
CV: Daniel received his Bachelor's in Biology from Rutgers University and a Master's in Data Science from UVA. For the past decade, he has worked in the UVA Department of Pharmacology as a lab specialist in basic science research. He has long enjoyed looking up at the night sky and continues to enjoy viewing it as an absolute novice astronomer. He is happy to have been able to serve CAS as treasurer since late 2023.
Dave Sappington
Abstract: Simpler and arguably easier to use than its desktop counterpart, Stellarium Mobile, which runs on Android and iOS phones or tablets, is ideal for use in the field. This presentation will walk through typical use cases of the free version while also demonstrating some of the useful paid features.
CV: Dave spent his professional life modeling and developing solutions for large scale engineering problems for various customers at a company, CCRi, now GA-Intelligence, he founded with a couple of his UVa colleagues. Having sold the company a few years ago, Dave now has time for various hobbies including designing printed circuit boards with embedded microcontrollers for various applications. Having grown up during the heyday of the space age, Dave is especially passionate about everything space-related and, of course, astronomy. He enjoys attending various astronomical observing and outreach events. Dave has been Vice President of CAS since 2025. -
Sarena Sunderlin
Abstract: Voyager 1 is nearing one light-day from Earth. How far, exactly, is that? Using the Solar System Editor in Stellarium, and a little help from JPL, you can implement and track exactly how far away Voyager 1 is, where it's headed, and even what constellation it's in. This presentation will demonstrate how to obtain and import the trajectories and ephemerides of interstellar spacecraft and probes into Stellarium.
CV: Sarena grew up on Florida's Space Coast and has spent the last ten years fostering a fascination with space and space travel. She has practiced as a veterinary medicine technician for the past seven years but has recently reignited a passion for astronomy since moving to Virginia in March. She is certified through NASA's Open Science program and is a hands-on member of the CAS since April. -
Dave Sappington
Abstract: Simpler and arguably easier to use than its desktop counterpart, Stellarium Mobile, which runs on Android and iOS phones or tablets, is ideal for use in the field. This presentation will walk through typical use cases of the free version while also demonstrating some of the useful paid features.
CV: Dave spent his professional life modeling and developing solutions for large scale engineering problems for various customers at a company, CCRi, now GA-Intelligence, he founded with a couple of his UVa colleagues. Having sold the company a few years ago, Dave now has time for various hobbies including designing printed circuit boards with embedded microcontrollers for various applications. Having grown up during the heyday of the space age, Dave is especially passionate about everything space-related and, of course, astronomy. He enjoys attending various astronomical observing and outreach events. Dave has been Vice President of CAS since 2025.
