April 21, 2007 
Noon – 10 PM
Fiske Planetarium & Science Center

The sky’s the limit today at the Fiske Planetarium — and it’s free! 

Check out the array of telescopes, learn about real-time solar spectroscopy and imaging, attend a demonstration of the new dome slit and shutter, or learn about a Heliostat (for solar observations). 

Visit the Astronomical Laboratory where many questions will be answered (Why is the sky blue?  Why are sunsets and lunar eclipses red?).  Other features of the lab:

• Heliostat (Solar Telescope) – Weather Permitting
  Live observations of sunspots, the solar spectrum, narrowband observations of the chromosphere
  
• SOHO Satellite Observations of the Sun 
  Observations of the corona and chromosphere from space
  
• Spectral Analysis 
  Emission spectra, diffraction, light pollution
• Solar and Lunar Eclipse Demonstration 
  Accurate eclipse shadows & why we don’t have eclipses every month

Or, at the Cosmos Laboratory:

• Navigating the Universe with a Computer 
  Fly through the night sky with Celestia
  
• Understanding Telescopes 
  Objects and images (hands-on exploration using image-forming lenses)
  A comparison of basic telescope types: refractors, newtonians, and cassegrains
  
• Exercises in Observational Astronomy
  Understanding the phases of the Moon 
  Measuring distances to galaxies 
  Eclipsing extra-solar planets
  
• Kirchoff’s Laws Demonstration 
  Understanding photon emission & absorption, quantum mechanics, and the conservation of energy
  
• What’s Cookin’ in The Sun? 
  Solar energy made easy: fusion, conservation of mass/energy, and e=mc2
  
• The Armchair Astronomer 
  Celestial sphere, globes, planispheres, atlases, handbooks, lab materials, etc.

Get recommendations on getting started in amateur astronomy (equipment, resources, etc.).  Learn about careers and research in astronomy.

For the younger folks:  do some crayon coloring, and view your artwork through different filters or in different colors.  See what happens in the Yellow Room — what happens if we saw in only one color?  Wonder at Blacklight Magic!

There will be drawings and giveaways, door prizes for the kids, live star talks at the Planetarium, a Rockets Lab with actual rocket launchings (outdoors — weather permitting), a “volts & jolts” lab, a sound lab, and numerous cool demos and displays.

Trust me; this is going to be out of this world!