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Hoping for Clear Skies on Sept. 18
The UNH Observatory and the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord are offering community members a chance to get a good look at the moon this Saturday evening.
From 6 to 8 p.m., the planetarium at the Discovery Center has planned numerous activities to celebrate the moon, and the UNH Observatory will be open from 8 to 10 p.m. There will also be telescopes set up on the sidewalks in Durham.
UNH astronomy and physics instructor John Gianforte said that the moon will be in its waxing gibbous phase--the perfect phase for observation because most of the moon's surface will be illuminated.
The planetarium at the Discovery Center will have its new Celestron 14-inch telescope available for people to observe, and Dr. Spence, director of UNH's Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, will discuss NASA's latest trip to the moon. Also, Tom Estill from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will answer questions. Other activities will include lunar golf, scavenger hunts, crater making and a Tonight's Sky show featuring the moon.
"They'll do a great job with it," Gianforte said of the event.
The event will be geared towards all ages and all levels of experience.
"If you enjoy astronomy, this will be a great event to find out more if you are experienced, or a great way to get started studying astronomy," Sheri Winters, an employee at the planetarium's visitor center, said.
"[The moon is] a great introductory object," Gianforte said. "It's easy to find."
International Observe the Moon Night is an event in which the Discovery Center participates annually.
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"Throughout history, people have looked up and wondered about the moon," Winters said. "It's a special event that the planetarium likes to participate in."
Winters said that the most exciting aspect of the event is that people get a chance to learn about the moon and talk with specialists.
In Durham, UNH telescopes will be stationed next to the Wildcat statue in front of the Whittemore Center and at the intersection of Main Street and Mill Road. The UNH Observatory also has its own 14-inch telescope.
"In celebration of this event and in addition to the public session, we will have two telescope stations, each with one of the observatory's Meade 8-inch telescopes, set up on campus," Rich Woolf, manager of the UNH Observatory, said.
University students and local astronomers, including Gianforte, will answer questions and showcase the moon's prominent features. The Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 landed, will be clearly visible on Saturday.
Gianforte said that the moon is extensively studied because of its proximity to Earth and the role it has played in the solar system.
"The moon is the closest astronomical object to the earth, and it teaches us a lot about the solar system," Gianforte said. "One of the things it teaches us is that impacts have played a major role in shaping our solar system and that's evidenced with the many craters that are on the moon."
Gianforte said that the great thing about observing the moon is that it looks different every night.
"If you look at the first quarter moon in September, it looks different than the first quarter moon in October," he said.
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