Michigan State University main website

Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

Family Astronomy Night: Planetary Motion and the Planets in May, June, and July

June 15, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm EDT

Free
Image of Solar System

Did you know that brilliant Venus will soon disappear from its finest evening appearance in eight years? Or that you can now see all five naked-eye planets in a single night? Are you aware that the planets don’t move straight in the sky, but zig-zag back and forth, even doing loops? Have you seen the dance that Saturn and Jupiter are doing in the morning sky, getting closer, now further apart, and then closer again? Are you ready for the end of the year, when these two giants will be closer together than at any time since the year 1623?  Join us by Zoom to learn more!

Families are invited to join us virtually for an evening of astronomy. We will have a presentation focused on the planets and their motion! We will take a natural approach, showing you how the Sun and the planets move in the sky as seen from earth, and how very different each of their motions is from one another. No wonder that astronomers, from the Babylonians and Greeks to modern scientists, remain fascinated by them. Just as important, we will also describe how astronomers have discovered these things, telling the stories of some of those who increased our understanding of how our solar system works.

As always, we will show you how to find the planets and other cool things that are currently in the sky this month and next. Finally, we will foreshadow an unusual time coming up in the early summer when all the planets (including Uranus, Neptune, and even Pluto) will be lined up in the morning sky, all visible at the same time!

Details

Date:
June 15, 2020
Time:
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm EDT
Cost:
Free

Venue

Online via Zoom