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 [4], Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium [5] (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 [6] 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 [7] and still references some of the information he learned at the event.
The Louisville Astronomical Society [8] 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 [9] (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 [10] 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 [5]or their Facebook page [11].
Photo: courtesy of http://louisville.edu/planetarium [5].