March

Exploration of the Night Sky: From Madison to Alger

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Location: John C. Wells Planetarium
Time:       10:00-11:00am

This event is open to the public.

Our ancestors were adept at decoding the sky to learn their position on the surface of the planet, to tell the passage of time, and to learn when winter was approaching. Today, astrophysics is an academic enterprise in which we have learned our Universe is filled with billions of galaxies, each of which can have more than billions of stars. We are now learning that planets around these stars are common. Is the discovery of life next?

Join us for a special presentation at the John C. Wells Planetarium to learn more about these discoveries, to learn more about how our night-time sky has changed since the time of Madison, and to learn how you can use the constellations to find your way around the night sky. We will also briefly discuss the current robotic exploration of the Solar System and what we are learning as a result.