Archive: Around Town

The Sciencenter will offer a special program in celebration of Astronomy Day 2011. On Saturday, May 7, from 12 to 4 pm, the museum will host a presentation and book signing by astronomer Jim Bell, unveil the museum’s latest hands-on exhibit, LunarViewer, and offer family-friendly activities. The Astronomy Day program is included with museum admission.

Starting at noon, visitors can participate in a variety of astronomy-themed activities, including taking their picture as Buzz Aldrin, sizing up the Moon, and exploring how high you would be able to jump on the Moon, and what you would need to survive on the Moon.

At 2 p.m., professor Jim Bell will discuss the past, present, and future of lunar space photography and exploration. He will show pictures of the Moon taken by astronauts, robot orbiters and landers, including 3-D images of the lunar surface. Following the presentation, prof. Bell will be available to sign copies of his books: Moon 3-D, Mars 3-D, and Postcards from Mars. These books are available from Sciencenter Take-Out, The Museum Store.

The Sciencenter’s new LunarViewer exhibit will be unveiled at 3 pm. Visitors can meet and pose questions to Cornell Space Scientists while they give a guided tour of the LunarViewer exhibit. The hands-on exhibit features an interactive flight over the moon using high-resolution data of the lunar surface. The exhibit was made possible with NASA funding to Cornell University Department of Astronomy for Educational Public Outreach, through prof. Bell. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University and Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

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