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Friday, June 10, 2016; 6 – 11 pm; N of the Washington Monument; 15th Street NW and Constitution Ave.
See the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars at the Largest Astronomy Event on the National Mall
In Washington, DC, on Friday June 10th from 6 to 11 pm, visitors to the nation’s capital will be a given a free guided tour of the sky at the Sixth Annual Astronomy Festival on the National Mall. The rain date is June 11th at The Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC Metro stop Brookland-CUA, Red line.
This free public stargazing is organized by Dr. Donald Lubowich, Coordinator of Astronomy Outreach at Hofstra University. The Astronomy Festival on the National Mall (AFNM) will feature solar, optical, and radio telescope observations of the Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; hands-on activities, demonstrations, hand-outs, posters, banners, and videos; a planetarium show with a portable blow-up dome, speakers from scientific and educational organization, and a chance to mingle with astronomers.
Dr. Lubowich and local amateur astronomers will set up twenty telescopes on the Mall. Starting at 6 pm, visitors will be able to view sunspots with the help of specially filtered telescopes. After dusk and until 11 p.m. telescopes will provide close-up views of the Moon, Saturn with its beautiful rings, Jupiter and its moons, Mars, colorful double stars, and star clusters that sparkle like diamonds on black velvet.
“Bringing astronomy to the National Mall and partnering with astronomical organizations gives us a very special opportunity to encourage children to pursue their interest in science or math and to promote public understanding of science,” said Dr. Lubowich. “Gazing at the rings of Saturn or the Moon’s craters captures the imagination, no matter how old you are.” AFNM started on 2010 as part of a NASA-funded Music and Astronomy Under the Stars program, which brought an astronomy festival to outdoor concerts throughout the US, and was co-sponsored by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Representatives from some of the nation’s foremost scientific institutions, organizations, and universities will present exciting demonstrations and answer questions about the latest astronomical discoveries or careers in science.
Participating Science Organizations: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Physics Teachers, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Carnegie Institution for Science, Celestial Chart, Center of Physics & Astronomy Education Research, E-planetarium/Discovery Dome, International Dark Sky Association, NASA – Goddard Space Flight Center, Lunar and Planetary Institute, National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, National Science Foundation, Naval Research Laboratory, #Popscope, Society of Physics Students, Space Telescope Science Institute, US Naval Observatory, and the Washington Area Astronomy Meetup.
Participating Colleges and Universities: American University, Catholic University of American, East Carolina University, Georgetown University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Montgomery College, Rice University.
Participating Astronomy clubs and related organizations: Amateur Observers’ Society of New York, Astronomical Association of Greenbelt, Goddard Astronomy Club, National Capital Astronomers, Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, Rappahannock Astronomy Club, and the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers.
Organizations that have supported the AFNM to spread the word to their members and the public via social media include: the American Astronomical Society, American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Association of Science-Technology Centers, Astronomers Without Borders, Astronomical League, Astronomical Society of the Pacific/Night Sky Network, Astronomy Magazine, National Academies of Science, Marian Koshland Science Museum, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, National Science Teachers Association, Nerd Nite DC, Sky and Telescope Magazine, Sidewalk Astronomers, Society for Science & the Public.
Public parking is available at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center Building, entrance on 14th Street NW just 1/4 block North of Constitution Avenue, for $13.00 from 5 p.m. until 1 a.m. Updates at www.hofstra.edu/dcstars
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2010-2014
Hofstra Events
http://www.hofstra.edu/academics/colleges/hclas/physic/physic-nationalmall.html