Spring 2009
Fridays in March at 7:00 PM.
Rainwater Observatory, French Camp, Miss.
Backyard Astronomy is an informal series of sessions in Astronomy for thepublic. Each program contains a brief talk followed by planetarium shows orobserving sessions.
Knowledgeable speakers will guide us through our solar system, as well as present an introduction to the constellations and their lore. Each session will be about an hour long and will feature the stories behind such sky objects as the Moon, the planets, the season’s constellations, and galaxies.
After the talks, weather permitting, an observing session will be held using Rainwater’s collection of telescopes including the largest in Mississippi. If the weather is cloudy, we’ll use the planetarium for our sky orientation.
Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium is located 1 mile east of the Natchez Trace Parkway on MS Hwy 413 near the village of French Camp in central Mississippi.
Program titles and speakers are subject to change.
March 6
: Be You Own Weather Forecaster, Tim RichIf you want to go star gazing, how do you know if it will be clear or cloudy. Find out how to predict what the weather will be like when the Sun goes down.
March 13: Saturn: The Lord of the Rings, James Hill
The ringed planet has revealed new features to the orbiting Cassini spacecraft. Find out about our "big sister" planet
March 20: Giants in the History of Astronomy, Jim Waltman
Certain names stand out in the development of our view of the cosmos.
March 27: A Tour of the Spring Constellations, David Teske
This program will introduce the patterns of stars in the spring night sky with plethora of galaxies. We’ll learn about how stars live and die and prepare to see a number of interesting objects through the telescopes.
If this sounds interesting to you, sign up today. Admission is FREE but donations are appreciated.
For more information about this program or other activities of Rainwater Observatory,call (662) 547-6377 or visit http://www.rainwaterobservatory.org. A map of how to get to Rainwater is on our web site.
Pre-registration is helpful for planning but come at the last minute if you can.If you plan to bring a group, please pre-register below or by phone.
Backyard Astronomy is funded by a grant from and is sponsored by the Mississippi NASA Space Grant Consortium and the Rainwater Astronomical Association.
To find out how you can bring "Backyard Astronomy" to your community...Backyard Astronomy for Mississippi: Coordinators and Presenters Information.