In celebration of the close encounter with Mars at the end of August, Fiske Planetarium at the University of Colorado at Boulder will host a Mars Marathon beginning Aug. 26.
The planetarium will have "Mars Marathon" events Aug. 26, 28, 29 and 30. The marathon will kick off Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. with "Martian Skies," a live presentation about what the skies look like above Colorado and from the surface of Mars. The audience also will get tips for viewing Mars this month. Admission for the show is $5 for adults, $4 for students and $3 for children and seniors.
On Thursday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. Steve Lee will present a live show called "New View of Mars: The History and Future of Mars Exploration." Lee is a researcher in CU-Boulder's astrophysical and planetary sciences department and curator of planetary science at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Admission for the show is $10.
On Friday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. Bruce Jakosky will present "Life on Mars." He will talk about whether or not life could have existed on Mars in the past and present, and if the planet could sustain human life in the future. Jakosky is a professor in the CU-Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and in the department of geological sciences. A scientist on several NASA Mars missions, Jakosky also directs the CU-Boulder Center for Astrobiology.
Also on Friday at 8:30 p.m., Dave Brain will present "Invisible Mars: More Than a Big Red Rock." Brain is a researcher in the Laboratory for Atmospheric Space Physics.
Tickets are $10 per lecture for the Friday shows, or $15 for both shows. Proceeds from the live talks on Thursday and Friday will go toward new seats for the planetarium theater, which was damaged in a flood last spring.
Also on Friday, CU-Boulder's Sommers-Bausch Observatory will be open to the public from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. for a special midnight viewing of Mars through the observatory's telescopes. There is no cost to visit the observatory.
On Saturday, Aug. 30, Fiske Planetarium will host "Family Mars Day," a free event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors will be able to explore the planetarium and see the Space Science Institute's hands-on Mars exhibit, build edible Mars rovers and design and test a Mars lander.
For more information about Fiske Planetarium and other shows and programs it offers, call (303) 492-5001 or visit the Web site at .