If you or your children are interested in planets, constellations, or anything to do with astronomy, Friday, May 10 is your lucky day. To celebrate National Astronomy Day, Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium (located on University of Louisville's Belknap campus) has planned an evening of informative fun for children and adults of all ages.
Starting at 7:00 pm, Dr. Thomas Tretter will present "Asteroids--Finding Them Before They Find Us," a timely discussion that might pique the interest of anyone who watched the real-life Armageddon unfolding earlier this year when a bus-sized asteroid exploded over Russia on the same day that an apartment-sized asteroid narrowly skimmed Earth.
Then at 8:00, enjoy the Spring session of Skies Over Louisville. My son (age 8) attended the winter program and still references some of the information he learned at the event.
The Louisville Astronomical Society will guide participants in a live viewing session in the courtyard at 9:00 pm (weather permitting). They're even giving away a Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ telescope (worth $149.95) to one lucky participant.
Usually, admission is $8/adults, $6 for kids, seniors, or UofL affiliates, but on National Astronomy Day, everyone gets in for $5.
If the planetarium is a hit, be sure to check out their innovative summer camps for your school-aged children. Art Stars Camps (for children entering grades 1-3) runs July 15-19. Space Adventure Camp (for students entering grades 2-4) will be held June 10-14 and June 17-21. Space Engineering Camp will appeal to kids entering grades 5-6 on July 29-August 2. New this year is Space Engineering Camp (for students entering grades 7-9) on June 24-28. All camps are held from 9:00 am-4:00 pm.
For more information, directions, and schedules, visit http://louisville.edu/planetarium or their Facebook page.
Photo: courtesy of http://louisville.edu/planetarium.
