‘The Climate and Weather of Mars’ at this month’s ‘Friday Nights, Celestial Lights’
By Amanda Beck
Senior Communications Specialist
Weather in Texas can be fickle. The season’s first freeze can be followed by near-100 degree temperatures the next day. But what is the weather like in other places, like, say on Mars?
This month’s “Friday Nights, Celestial Lights” event explores the climate and weather of our planet’s close neighbor, Mars. UTSA’s faculty astronomers invite the community to the Main Campus on Friday, Nov. 18 for this free and open to the public family-friendly astronomy event.
The evening will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Science Building Room 2.02.02 on the UTSA Main Campus with a lecture, “The Climate and Weather of Mars.” The lecture will be given by Eric Schlegel, the Vaughan Family Endowed Professor in Physics in the UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy.
NASA has designated 2011-2012 as the Year of the Solar System, given the number of missions within our solar system that are currently running or set to launch during that time. For our contribution to the activities of that period, the Department of Physics and Astronomy will be reviewing results of past missions, and previewing expectations for those to come.
This month’s and the previous month’s lectures examine Mars in preparation for the launch of NASA’s next mission to the planet, the Mars Roving Laboratory named Curiosity. The presentation will last about 40 minutes.
Immediately after the presentation, weather permitting, attendees will have the opportunity to view the night sky using UTSA’s telescopes including a 15-inch telescope and several 8-inch Cassegrain telescopes. Night viewing will be from the fourth floor patio of the Science Building, which is wheelchair accessible. If the sky is clear, attendees may be able to see the Ring Nebula in Lyra, the double star Albireo, and Jupiter.
UTSA’s monthly “Friday Nights, Celestial Lights” events began in 2009 as a celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, which commemorated the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei using a telescope to observe the heavens. Generally scheduled for the third Friday night each month, the series is sponsored by the UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Reservations to attend the Nov. 18 astronomy event are not required. To learn more, contact Professor Eric Schlegel at 210-458-6425 or lecturer Mark Jurena at 210-458-4922.
