Saturday, April 24 is Astronomy Day
See the Sun, Venus, Saturn and the Moon; free viewing, handouts, demonstrations and telescope raffle
On Saturday April 24, Flandrau Science Center will celebrate Astronomy Day with the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA), and The National Sharing the Sky Foundation (NSSF) with displays, handouts, free viewing through telescopes and more! The outside portion of this event occurs weather permitting on the University of Arizona mall with world famous comet hunter David Levy and his wife Wendee and benefits their National Sharing the Sky Foundation (donations requested). Flandrau Science Center thanks its partners Astronomy Magazine and Celestron Telescopes, especially for the donation of several telescopes (including a Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ Telescope or similar model), which will be raffled off to those donating to the The National Sharing the Sky Foundation (NSSF) that evening.
Offerings include:
- From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., solar telescopes will be set up at Flandrau Science Center by Flandrau volunteers and The Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) for free, safe viewing of the Sun (weather permitting).
- Volunteers from the The Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) and from the National Optical and Astronomy Observatories (N.O.A.O.) will provide astronomy demonstrations and education activities for kids of all ages. Astronomy club volunteers with the Night Sky Network will also provide activities as well.
- From 7-10 p.m., a wide selection of large telescopes and giant binoculars from Flandrau and The TAAA will be available for free public viewing of the planets Venus, and Saturn and the 11 day old gibbous Moon (among other celestial objects).
- Eruptions on the Sun’s edge and sunspots will be visible through Flandrau and TAAA telescopes during daytime viewing (weather permitting).
- Free space related handouts, posters and NASA postcards about astronomy and stargazing will be available from 3-9 p.m. in Flandrau’s exhibit area to Flandrau patrons with Astronomy Magazine handouts on the UA mall.
- Flandrau’s 16-inch observatory telescope will be open normally, showcasing it’s new high resolution real-time imaging system, using an upgraded HyperStar system from Starizona.
- In addition, Flandrau Science Center will present planetarium shows at 3:00 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. (additional shows can be run upon request for patrons).
- Astronomy, stargazing and telescope raffle (only for those donating to the The National Sharing the Sky Foundation (NSSF) that evening).
All activities will be held to celebrate Astronomy Day, a day first promoted by the Astronomical League (http://www.astroleague.org) to share the joy of astronomy with the general population – “Bringing Astronomy to the People.” For a more information on Astronomy Day and a list of viewing events nationwide go to the Astronomical League’s Astronomy Day Web site.
How to get here: Solar and nighttime viewing will occur on the University of Arizona campus in front of (south and east of) Flandrau Science Center. Free Parking is available on the UA campus all day Saturday, May 10, even in ‘Service Vehicle Only’ signed spaces. Flandrau Science Center is located on the University of Arizona campus on the northeast corner of Cherry Avenue and University Boulevard. Information about Astronomy Day, the night sky, and planetarium shows is available at the Flandrau Web site at http://www.gotuasciencecenter.org.