Several noted faculty members at the University of Colorado at Boulder will present lectures in the Fiske Planetarium during the spring semester lecture series.
"Once a month, come share the beauty of the heavens in the Star Theater," said Katy Garmany, astronomer and planetarium director. "Audiences will be able to ask questions of the astronomer speakers and learn about what1s happening in the night sky."
The Friday evening talks for adults are appropriate for children over age 10 and will feature the planetarium's star projector and special effects, including images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Admission will be charged.
If weather permits, the talks will be followed by viewings at Sommers-Bausch Observatory using the 18-inch and 16-inch telescopes.
Admission is $3.50 for adults and $2 for seniors and for children over age 12. For information about programs at Fiske Planetarium call (303) 492-5001 for a recorded announcement or (303) 492-5002 to speak to the planetarium staff.
Following is a schedule of Fiske Planetarium spring semester talks by CU-Boulder astronomers:
On Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Fiske Planetarium, astronomy Associate Professor Andrew Hamilton will open the series with "Black Holes and Relativity." Hamilton will show what it1s like to travel at nearly the speed of light and describe the fundamentals of relativity using such terms as "time dilation," "Lorentz contraction beaming" and "redshift." The audience will experience a simulated fall into a black hole.
On Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Fiske Planetarium, astronomy Associate Professor John Bally will discuss "Birth of the Universe" and its early evolution. He will travel back to the beginning of time using the latest images beamed from ground and space.
On March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Fiske Planetarium, astronomer Katy Garmany will talk on "Earth and Sky: Before the Telescope" at 7:30 p.m. in Fiske Planetarium. With the arrival of Comet Hale-Bopp, people will be interested in how best to view this newest celestial visitor. Garmany will discuss prehistoric and pretelescopic astronomy, constellations, calendars, sundials, eclipses and navigation.
On April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Fiske Planetarium, astronomy Associate Professor John Bally will discuss "Galactic Recycling" and what the night sky would look like if you could see it with infrared eyes. He will describe the origin of elements, the life and death of stars and constant cycling of matter between stars and the Milky Way.
On May 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Fiske Planetarium, astronomy Associate Professor Bruce Jakosky will speak on "Is There Extraterrestrial Life?" Jakosky has been involved in the examination of recent discoveries about possible life on Mars.