Artist, architect, and astronomer, Chesley Bonestell (1888 - 1986) lived through and contributed to many highly civilized events and cultural realizations of this century. Bonestell has an international cult following which began in the 1950s with the appearance of a succession of books on space exploration and the Solar System. As an illustrator he had equal billing with authors including Arthur C. Clarke, Wernher von Braun, Willy Ley, and Robert S. Richardson.

Each year, the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy presents a lecture for the general public supported by funds from the Chesley Bonestell Memorial Lecture Endowment. Normally held in January, this lecture highlights a significant astronomical topic of the previous year. A list of previous speakers and topics is presented below. For information on this year's lecture, please see the Calendar section of the web site.