Mars Magnified

SEE “MARS MAGNIFIED” AT SPECIAL TELESCOPE VIEWING EVENT

Thanks to support from the UA Lunar & Planetary Lab (LPL), the evening will begin with a special presentation, “Mars Madness,” by planetary scientist Steve Kortenkamp, Associate Professor of Practice at LPL. Kortenkamp’s presentation, at 8pm in the Eos Planetarium Theater at Flandrau, will review the history of Martian exploration, explain why Mars is now so close to Earth, and give an overview of the other planets visible in the night sky at this time of year. After Kortenkamp’s presentation, there will be planetarium shows every hour on the hour with a final show at 12am.

In addition to Mars, there will be other planets to see in the sky that night, including Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and our very own Moon. Telescopes will be provided on the UA Mall in front of Flandrau thanks to volunteers from the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, the Lunar and Planetary Lab, and Steward Observatory.

All the telescopes will be free and open to the public. The “Mars Madness” special presentation, Planetarium Shows, and Laser Music Shows are $5 each and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please note, telescope viewing requires a clear sky so it is “weather permitting,” but the “Mars Madness” presentation and planetarium shows will run regardless of clear or cloudy skies.