Star viewing party Friday on UNC Asheville campus

Fun! Press release here:

UNC Asheville’s main quad will be part of a statewide star viewing party and also will host a solar observing event in April. Both events are free and open to the public, presented jointly by the UNC Asheville Department of Physics and the Astronomy Club of Asheville as part of the North Carolina Science Festival.

The star viewing party will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 4 on UNC Asheville’s main quad. Participants will use telescopes to view the moon, Jupiter, star clusters and galaxies. The evening will include two indoor educational activity sessions as well, where participants can model moon phases and cratering processes, from 7:45–8:30 p.m. and 8:45–9:30 p.m. in Rhoades Robinson Hall, room 119. Parking will be available in lots P25 and P26.

The solar observing event will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, April 11 on UNC Asheville’s main quad, and will include safely observing the sun through telescopes with a variety of filters to see sunspots, prominences and more. Parking will be available in lot P22.

Both events are part of the North Carolina Science Festival, a two-week statewide series of events showcasing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“The North Carolina Science Festival provides us with a wonderful opportunity to bring people together to share in the excitement of astronomical observing,” said Judy Beck, lecturer in physics at UNC Asheville. “Viewing the moon’s impressive, cratered surface through a telescope gives people a whole new appreciation of our closest astronomical neighbor, and glimpsing star clusters, nebulae and distant galaxies is also a thrill.”

For more information about the North Carolina Science Festival, visit the festival’s website. For information on the events at UNC Asheville, including the latest updates regarding cloudy weather and possible cancellations, visit the Astronomy Club’s website, or contact Bud Holmes at 828.251.6442.