University of Colorado at Boulder astronomers will share current scientific knowledge and discuss the lore of the heavens in summer star talks in Fiske Planetarium.
The live presentations, suitable for adults and children over age 8, will feature talks by ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder astronomers who will provide illustrations using the star projector and other equipment in the star theater. Each presentation will include time for questions from the audience.
Admission will be charged. If the weather permits, the 16-inch and 18-inch telescopes in nearby Sommers-Bausch Observatory will be available for viewing after each program.
On Friday, June 13, at 8 p.m. Associate Professor John Bally will discuss the big-bang theory of the origin of the universe and its early evolution. He will travel back to the beginning of time using the latest images obtained from Earth and space.
On Friday, July 11, astronomer Katy Garmany, director of Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory, will speak on “Earth and Sky: Before the Telescope.” She will show, in the 8 p.m. talk, what our forebears learned from the night sky and will identify the constellations as people have done for centuries.
Garmany will discuss visible planets with an emphasis on Mars, light pollution, celestial navigation, calendars, sundials and eclipses.
Associate Professor Andrew Hamilton will speak on “Black Holes and Relativity” on Friday, Aug. 1, at 8 p.m. The audience will see demonstrations of what it is like to travel at nearly the speed of light and will learn about such terms as “time dilation,” “Lorentz contraction beaming” and “redshift.”
Hamilton will discuss the fundamentals of relativity and give the audience a simulated fall into a black hole.
Fiske Planetarium is located on the corner of Regent Drive and Kittredge Loop Road on the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder campus. Sommers-Bausch Observatory is 100 feet east of the planetarium. Visitor parking is free after 5 p.m. in lot 306 on the south side of Regent Drive or in lot 330 on the north side.
Admission is $3.50 for adults and $2 for seniors and children. For information about all programs at Fiske Planetarium call (303) 492-5001 for a recorded announcement or (303) 492-5002 to speak to the staff.