With the 50th anniversary of the first human steps on the moon just ahead, UNC Asheville and the Astronomy Club of Asheville will present a special commemoration, and weather permitting, a lunar viewing the evening of July 9. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Reuter Center on campus with a talk by Dominic Lesnar, president of the Astronomy Club of Asheville, titled To the Moon! Reflections on Apollo after 50 Years. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to this program co-sponsored by UNC Asheville’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, and OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville.
It was on July 20, 1969 that American astronauts, Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, landed the Apollo Lunar Module on the surface of the moon. And at roughly 11 p.m. EDT that night, Armstrong took the first human steps on the lunar surface, followed minutes later by Aldrin.
It was a truly unforgettable moment for people all over the world who watched on live television, and after Lesnar’s talk, those in attendance will have the opportunity to briefly share their own memories and reflections. Then, skies permitting, telescopes will be set up outside of the Reuter Center for lunar viewing.
UPCOMING ASTRONOMY EVENTS
The Astronomy Club of Asheville will present a talk – Beyond Pluto: The New Horizons Mission to Ultima Thule, by Steven J. Conard of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory – at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, free and open to everyone, presented in partnership with OLLI at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center.
UNC Asheville and the Astronomy Club of Asheville also host free guided star gazing sessions for the public at Lookout Observatory on campus. The next star gaze is on Aug. 23 and registration is required; to be notified when registration for the star gaze opens, visit lookoutobservatory.unca.edu.
Lookout Observatory, operated jointly by UNC Asheville and the Astronomy Club of Asheville, will celebrate its fifth anniversary in November – watch for news of special anniversary events.
For more information, visit lookoutobservatory.unca.edu or email lookout@unca.edu.
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