Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory will celebrate National Astronomy Day on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus on Saturday, April 21, with an array of family-oriented activities from noon to 10 p.m.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will include demonstrations of the new Science on a Sphere exhibit at Fiske Planetarium and numerous educational activities focused on astronomy in the planetarium and observatory. The observatory's telescopes also will be available for public use after 8 p.m., weather permitting.
"Astronomy Day is intended to introduce the fun and fascination of astronomy and science to the public, especially to kids, including kids of all ages," said Suzanne Traub-Metlay, education programs manager at Fiske Planetarium. "It's an annual event celebrated at planetariums, observatories and astronomy clubs around the world."
Members of the Boulder Astronomy and Space Society will be at the observatory to discuss astronomy with visitors. The public also is invited to attend the group's monthly meeting at 7 p.m. in the observatory.
Regional telescope and astronomy equipment vendors as well as organizations such as The Planetary Society and Â鶹ÒùÔº for the Exploration and Development of Space also will be at the event.
"We're proud to be a part of Astronomy magazine's nationwide celebration this year," said Keith Gleason, manager of Sommers-Bausch Observatory.
The planetarium will be demonstrating its new Science on a Sphere exhibit, which was completed this month. The sphere, which is six feet in diameter, displays animated images of Earth's atmosphere, oceans and continents, as well as other planets, according to Doug Duncan, director of Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory.
"Science on a Sphere is a spectacular new way of viewing the Earth, planets and the universe," Duncan said. "It makes you feel like an astronaut floating above the Earth."
The event is co-sponsored by Astronomy magazine and Meade Telescopes, who are donating prizes including an 8-inch reflecting telescope.
For a complete schedule of events, times and locations visit cosmos.colorado.edu/sbo/public/special.html.
Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory are located on Regent Drive at Kittredge Loop Drive on the CU-Boulder campus. For more information about either facility, call (303) 492-5002 or visit the Fiske Planetarium Web site at fiske.colorado.edu/ or the Sommers-Bausch Observatory Web site at cosmos.colorado.edu/sbo /.