Astronomy Talk & Star-Watching: Saturn at its Closest & the Sky Tonight

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Join Steven Spangler, PhD, to explore space! During his 39-year career at Iowa, Spangler taught courses at all levels from general education courses for non-science majors, to graduate courses in astronomy and physics. This presentation is intended for adults, but all are welcome.

Saturn is one of the eight major planets, and the most distant one that can be seen with the naked eye.  On the average, it is nine and one half times further from the Sun than our Earth. On September 7th, Saturn will be at opposition, meaning it will be at its closest for this year. Opposition is when the Sun, Earth, and a planet are all in a line.  Spangler will talk about our current knowledge of the planet Saturn and its interesting set of moons, and describe an exciting future mission to Saturn called Dragonfly.  

After the talk, we will look at Saturn through telescopes with Spangler and astronomers Deb and Jim Bonser. In addition, Spangler will describe some of the main sights to be seen in the sky that night, and we will look at some of them if the sky is clear.  

Registration is greatly appreciated but not required to attend. Register online on mycountyparks.org or email rgenaw@tamacounty.org

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