Window to the Universe

Description

Mercury and Venus: Mysteries Revealed David Velasquez, Phd Taylor Observatory, Saturday, Apr 22, 2017 7:15 PLANETARIUM: Full Dome Show and the April Night Sky (E. Alatorre) 8:00 LECTURE: David Velasquez 9:00 PLANETARIUM: Full Dome Show and the April Night Sky (E. Alatorre) 9:00-11:00 TELESCOPE VIEWING (Tom Schleif) . Our 2017 tour of the solar system takes us to the inner planets Venus and Mercury, where fly-by probes have revealed fascinating details of these solar bodies. Mercury is a challenge because of its proximity to our sun. Mariner 10 and MESSENGER have gathered the first data, and the Japan-US joint venture BepiColombo should fill in many missing details. In contrast, planet Venus is deeply rooted in art, literature, romance and science. Fly-bys and balloon landings have supplemented our earthly knowledge with detailed scientific information. In late March, Venus achieved inferior conjunction, its closest approach to earth. Clear skies are expected on Saturday night. Jupiter provides a stunning telescopic view as the planet rises over Mt. Konocti after 8:00 PM with the four moons clearly visible. Tom Shleif will demonstrate his new Zwo camera for photographing Jupiter using a 12-inch Dobsonian telescope outside. Location: Taylor Observatory, 5725 Oak Hills Lane, Kelseyville, CA 95451. Admission $5.00 adults and free to Lake Co. K-12 students. Additional donations in support of Lake County STEM education are encouraged. For more information visit the Friends of Taylor Facebook page or phone Friends of Taylor Observatory at (707) 262-4121.