May 15-17
Cedar Rapids, IA
Friday May 15th, 2026
​3:00 PM - DoubleTree Hotel and Convention Complex
Registration
​
5:00 PM - EIOLC
Food-LJ’s Catering
Spectroscopy Station - Doug Nauman
NSN Station-John Leeson
Beyond Visible Light Station - Tom Weber
B&C Dome-John Leeson
Celestron SCT Dome - John Centala
Celestron Edge Roll-off - Luke Christen
Library - John Centala
Meteor Camera - Jim Hannon, Carl Bracken
Meridian Telescope - Doug Slauson
Gravity Box - TBD
​​
7:30 PM
Welcome - Chris Kardos, President Cedar Amateur Astronomers
​
8:00 PM
Panels/Workshops
9:00 PM
Outside Viewing
Laser Pointers​
Saturday May 16th, 2025
Breakfast On Your Own
8:30 AM NCRAL Business meeting
Welcome by Mayor Tiffany O’Donell
10:15 AM Session #1
11:15 AM Session #2
Lunch On Your Own
1:00 PM Session #3
2:00 PM Session #4
Cookie Break
​
3:30 PM Session #5
Social and Networking Time
6:00 PM Banquet - Taft B
7:30 PM Keynote-Session #6
9:00 PM NCRAL Awards
​
10:00 PM Conference Decompression
Hospitality Suite, Room 150
Welcome by Mayor Tiffany O’Donell
​
10:30 AM
Open the Public
Taft B
1:00 – 4:00 PM
30-minute Blast Talks
Taft A
NASA Solar System Ambassadors
Douglas Kupa
Dan Hoy
Mehmet Sefer
Trena Johnson
MN #1
MN #2
Portable Planetarium
Hands-on Activities
Sunday 5/17/2026
​8:00 AM
Collins Aerospace Museum Tour
10:00 AM
National Czeck and Slovak Museum and Library with Astronomical Clock visit
​
11:00 AM
NRAO Site Visit
​
11:30
Van Allen Lab Tour
