Family Night at the Eastern Iowa Observatory

  • Details

  • 4/22/23
  • 6 - 9 p.m.
  • Free
  • All Ages
  • Categories

  • Hobby

Event Description

Cedar Amateur Astronomers present "Sun Dog Saturday" a family event at the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center.  Admission is free, and sign up for the free drawing to win a telescope or binoculars!

Join us for an evening of snacks, drinks, and astronomy. Starting at 6 PM the whole family will enjoy our fun, astronomy-based activities. Tour our many displays and hands-on exhibits and chat with our astronomy members. Then at 8 PM, local NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Mark Brown will give a presentation for all ages entitled: "Comets - vagabonds of the solar system."

Comets are exotic icy travelers from the far reaches of our Solar System. Mark will discuss what comets are made of and why they behave the way they do. Come and see the makings of a comet brought to life in this presentation. This is an exciting and engaging program where participants can see, touch, and hold a “living” model of a homemade comet nucleus.  

Mark Brown is a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador volunteer who actively conducts educational outreach across eastern and northern Iowa. He holds a bachelor's degree in geology from Wright State University and a master's degree in astronomy from Swinburne University of Technology. He is an experienced astronomer and astrophotographer who enjoys imaging the night sky through his telescopes and cameras and is passionate about conducting educational public outreach, bringing astronomy concepts to the human level of understanding. For Mark, the darkness and beauty of the night sky bring light to his day. 

Weather permitting, we will end the night with some magnificent views of our Iowa night skies through several of our large telescopes!

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