Want to get to know your celestial neighbors? The University of Louisville’s Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium and the Louisville Astronomical Society are giving earthlings of all ages the opportunity to glimpse the great beyond this coming Saturday, May 14 with stargazing, shows, games and a drawing for a new telescope.
The celebration will run from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the planetarium. Activities include rocket launches, comet-making, marshmallow shuttles, solar viewing and a workshop aimed at helping novice stargazers make an informed decision when buying a telescope. There will be two showings of “Skies Over Louisville,” one at 7 p.m. and another at 8 p.m.
A second part of the program will be 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Louisville Astronomical Society’s Urban Astronomy Center, E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park, 2600 Freys Hill Road. Society members will help visitors navigate the night sky, and will offer a clinic for telescope owners.
The Rauch event admission is $5 per person, with aliens ages 2 and under free. The event at the park is free, but donations are welcome. Attendees at both events will have the opportunity to participate in the drawing for a free telescope.
For more information, visit www.louisville.edu/planetarium/events/2011-national-astronomy-day.html or contact Paula McGuffey at 852-5855.
Contact the author at leecopywriting@gmail.com or www.leecopywriting.com.
Photo: Flickr/roy_mac_an_iarla