Astronomy Night!

Note: New meeting time!

How about a night out with the stars? No, not those stars…. With the oscars over earlier this month, lets meet up with some of the celestial kind! The astronomy department at UCI opens up their observatory and expertise to the general public on a quarterly basis, weather permitting, of course. We weren’t so lucky last month with the rain, but this month, on the vernal/spring equinox, they’re going to try it again! So save the date for Saturday, March 20, and we’ll have the opportunity to attend a short presentation entitled "Solar System Debris: Comets, Asteroids & Meteoroids" by Professor Tammy Smecker-Hane, and observe through the university’s telescopes.

Details: We'll meet at the ICS/Engineering Parking Structure at E. Peltason Dr. and Anteater Dr. From the 73 toll road, take the Bison exit north towards UCI. Turn right at E. Peltason Dr., proceed approximately .7 miles to Anteater Dr., turn left and park in the garage (at the corner of E. Peltason and Anteater Dr., on the west/left side of E. Peltason). Here is a link to driving directions: http://www.physics.uc..., and one to the campus map: http://www.uci.edu/ca.... Parking costs $2/hour, max $8/day. Three hours should cover it. Alternatively, from the 405, exit University Dr. to the west, proceed to Culver Dr. and turn left, right on Campus Dr., and left on E. Peltason Dr. The parking garage will be on your right at Anteater Dr.

Time: Plan to meet at the shuttle stop in front of the parking structure at 7:30 pm (I'll be holding a red and white "Meetup" sign). Shuttles will transport us to a gravel road where we'll walk down to the observatory. They run every 10-15 minutes starting at 7:30, and we'll plan to take the second shuttle at approximately 7:40. If you won't be at the shuttle stop by then, just let me know and meet us at the observatory (I'll email my cell number Friday evening to those RSVPing by then). The lecture starts at 8:15, and is repeated again at 9:15. We'll then have the opportunity to observe through the university's telescopes; their main one is a 24-inch, computer-controlled f/8 Cassegrain telescope. The event runs until 10 pm.

Cost: There is no cost for the event, but the university suggests a donation of $5 (per family) to defray costs. The shuttles run continuously every 10-15 minutes until half an hour after the event. Please dress warmly--it's still chilly out! And bring a flashlight to negotiate the gravel road back. If you'd like to stay afterwards and observe the night sky, bring a folding chair and/or blanket (and some snacks!).

Rain cancels. In the (hopefully unlikely!) event of cancellation, I'll send an email out by 4 pm that afternoon to everyone who's RSVP'd. (If you want to check their website, they'll indicate a cancellation by 3 pm). NOTE: If it's only cloudy, it won't cancel--we can still attend the lecture and take a tour of the observatory.

Here are some websites for more information: http://www.physics.uc..., http://www.physics.uc..., and http://www.physics.uc...

Enjoy the first day of Spring with your FSOCSE friends!
See you there~