Contact: Lisa Lacher, 515-271-3119, lisa.lacher@drake.edu
Black holes, warp drive, worm holes, and aliens are among the topics that will be examined at the Drake Municipal Observatory this fall in a series of programs beginning Friday, Sept. 8, that are free and open to the public. Herbert Schwartz and Charles Nelson of the Drake University Department of Physics and Astronomy will host the sessions at the observatory in Waveland Park on the west side of Des Moines.
Each week there will be a non-technical, illustrated presentation on an astronomical topic followed by the opportunity to view several stellar objects through the large refracting telescope and several smaller reflecting telescopes. The program will be held regardless of the weather, although the selection for observation is subject to change due to sky conditions or other special circumstances.
Individuals, families and small groups are welcome to attend the presentations, which begin at 8 p.m. each Friday from Sept. 8 through Oct 27. A parent or responsible adult must accompany children.
The schedule for the fall series is listed below:
- Sept. 8: “Beginnings, the Big Bang”
- Sept. 15: “Black Holes, the End of Everything?”
- Sept. 22: “Warp Drive and Worm Holes”
- Sept. 29: “Gravity, Looking for a Way to Measure it”
- Oct. 6: “Pulsars, Quasars and Magnetars”
- Oct. 13: “Beautiful Pictures of Nuclear Metamorphous”
- Oct. 20: “Aliens at Work and Play”
- Oct. 27: “Big Discoveries with Little Telescopes”
For more information, contact the Department of Physics and Astronomy at 515-271-3141.