Posts Tagged ‘star night’
LTO Star Night: February 2020
The guest speaker for this public star night will be Dr. Emily Hardegree-Ullman. The title of her presentation is “Erased from History”. Einstein, Hawking, Hubble. Ask a stranger to name a famous astronomer and 9 times out of 10 they will think of a man. Despite the incredible contributions of women to astronomy, their names are all but forgotten. In this talk, Dr Hardegree-Ullman will highlight some of the significant achievements you might not have heard about. The women who ... Full Story
Star Night: November 2019
Members of the Lakota tribe observed the stars while remaining in one geographical area over a period of thousands of years. In the "Winter Circle" they saw a representation of their seasonal migration through the Black Hills in Western South Dakota. The stars also represented the spiritual life of the people. The shape of the earth was thought to resemble the constellations above. Much of this mirroring takes place inside the red clay valley which encircles the Black Hills of South ... Full Story
LTO Star Night-May 17, 2019
The speaker for this evening will be Dr. Dan Durda from Southwest Research Institute in Boulder and the title of his talk will be “All These Worlds: The Exoplanet Revolution”. For generations we've wondered whether we are alone in the Universe. Thanks in large part to space missions like Kepler, we now know that we live in a galaxy full of diverse planetary systems. Not only are we detecting planets around thousands of other stars, we are beginning to characterize them as well, ... Full Story
Star Night, April 2019
The speaker for this evening will be Dr. John Spencer from Southwest Research Institute in Boulder and the title of his talk will be “The Furthest Flyby: New Horizons Visits Kuiper Belt Object 2014 MU69”. On January 1, 2019, deep in the Kuiper Belt a billion miles beyond Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past the small object 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, making MU69 the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft. New Horizons revealed MU69 to be a ... Full Story
LTO March Star Night
The speaker for this evening will be LTO volunteer and co-author of SkySafari, Bill Tschumy. Amateur astronomy is in many ways an intellectual pursuit. What may look like a faint smudge in the telescope only comes alive when you truly grasp what it is you are looking at. Bill’s talk will introduce you to the wonders of the night sky. He will help you understand the size, distance, location and physical properties of those objects you can see through the telescope. He will ... Full Story
Star Night December 2018
The speaker for this evening is The LTO Board Member and Science and Astronomy Teacher at Berthoud High School Scott Kindt. The title of his talk will be “The Science behind our Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence”. Is intelligent alien life widespread throughout the cosmos or are we alone? This question has been debated for centuries. With the discovery and application of radio telescopes, astronomers have found a tool that can be used to look for other intelligent ... Full Story
Star Night October 2018
Since Galileo invented the telescope over 400 years ago, people have built ever larger instruments that probe deeper into space. Today, the greatest collection of astronomical telescopes ever assembled sites atop Mauna Kea, one of five volcanoes forming Hawaii’s Big Island and the highest point in the central Pacific. In this talk, Dr. Gregory Wirth explains how this remote location came to be home to the CFHT, Gemini, Subaru, and Keck telescopes and how astronomers are using these ... Full Story
LTO Star Night: January 2018
The guest speaker for this public star night will be Dr. Cherilynn Morrow and the topic of her talk will be about the astronomy of Chaco Culture National Historic Park. The presentation for Little Thompson Observatory will offer an educational and entertaining description of astronomy and archaeo-astronomy at the remote Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico, particularly as it relates to Dr. Morrow's recent research and interpretative activities there. Dr. ... Full Story
LTO Star Night November 2017
The guest speakers are Mark Rennert, John Hiatt, John Ensworth and Ian Bolinger. The first solar eclipse in 99 years to traverse the United States from coast to coast was truly amazing. It was so amazing we think it’s worth reliving at least one more time. If you were not able to see it in its glorious full totality, or even if you did, we’d like to share the experience with you. LTO volunteers, John Ensworth, John Hiatt, Mark Rennert and junior volunteer, Ian ... Full Story
LTO Star Night: June 2017
The guest speaker is Dr. Suzanne Metlay, and the title of her presentation is “All-American Eclipse on August 21” Enjoy the unique experience of a solar eclipse safely and well-informed about the local logistics and celestial mechanics. We will discuss: eye safety, where to go within easy driving distance, what you can expect to see, and why an eclipse occurs. Let’s talk about planetary tilts, orbits, alignments, eccentricities, and the excitement of your own upcoming ... Full Story
