 "Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery," an exciting new traveling exhibit that uses dramatic imagery from Galileo's observations to the Hubble Space Telescope and other space missions to show how our understanding of the universe has changed over the last 400 years, opens at the Boone County Library on January 21st. The exhibit is part of the International Year of Astronomy, a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, highlighted by the 400th Anniversary in 2009 of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo.
"Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery" is presented by the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland; the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observartory, Cambridge, MA; and the American Library Association, Chicago, IL, through funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Click on the Calendar button at the top of the page to get a complete listing of the events happening with Visions of the Universe at your Boone County Library.
Guest Speakers include:
David Blackburn (Thursday January 21st 5:30p.m – 6:45p.m.)
Short biography:
David Blackburn is a native Arkansan and third-year PhD candidate in space and planetary sciences at the University of Arkansas. He graduated with a BS in computer science from Arkansas Tech University in 2007. Starting last summer, David was given the opportunity to intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab where he began creating an albedo map of Iapetus, the third largest moon of Saturn. He is continuing that project for his dissertation and applying his map to a new understanding of the thermal processes on Iapetus and transport of volatiles on the surface. His areas of research interests include the moons of the outer solar system and planetary ices.
Title: Recent Discoveries on the Icy Satellites of Saturn
The moons of the outer solar system are worlds in their own right, each having its own unique features. We will focus on the moons of Saturn and the remarkable discoveries made recently by the Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting Saturn. On Titan, Cassini has discovered lakes of liquid methane and ethane at both poles, making Titan the only other planetary body besides Earth in our solar system known to have liquid on its surface. On another moon composed of mostly of ice, Enceladus has active plumes of liquid and ice that are ejected from the south pole from warm, linear geologic features called the Tiger Stripes, providing evidence for a liquid water reservoir under the surface. Iapetus is a Yin-yang moon with respect to brightness, having an extremely dark hemisphere and a light hemisphere, and this difference creates a dichotomy of surface temperature that feeds volatile transport of carbon dioxide and water vapor producing an ever-changing surface. Other smaller moons of Saturn including Mimas, Dione, and Tethys are also suspected to be active worlds, and we will delve into the current mysteries of these saturnian moons in detail and attempt to unlock their secrets.
Dr. Joel Berrier (Tuesday Jan 26th 10:00 – 11:00; 1:00 – 2:00 and February 10th 1:00 – 2:00; 3:00 – 4:00)
Short biography:
Completed a B.S. at Hope College in Physics and Mathematics in 2002, an M.S. in Physics from the University of California, Irvine in 2005, and a Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy from UC Irvine in 2008. His research focuses on developing models of galaxy evolution which incorporate galaxy mergers, environmental effects, and galaxy clustering. He is currently a member of the AGES collaboration at the University of Arkansas.
Presentation : Tour of the solar system for grades K – 6th
Dr. Berrier’s presentation is designed for grades K – 6th and will consist of a brief tour of the solar system. We will examine our sun, the planets in the solar system, and our moon. We will demonstrate how the phases of the moon are created.
Schools/teachers are encouraged to call to reserve a time slot for a fieldtrip. Limited space is available.
Larry Roe (Thursday Feb 4th at 3:00p.m – 4:00p.m.)
Short biography:
Dr. Larry Roe is Director of the Center for Space and Planetary Sciences at the University of Arkansas. He has degrees from the University of Mississippi and the University of Florida, and has worked in aerospace research at Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, Virginia Tech, the University of Arkansas, NASA-Jet Propulsion Lab, and the U.S. Air Force.
Title: Careers in the Space Program
Career opportunities in the space program (and the broader aerospace field) may be found with government entities, private corporations, and universities. Government agencies such as NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense use, operate, and (on occasion) design and build spacecraft. Corporations, however, build the great majority of US spacecraft and spacecraft components, and operate most US satellites in Earth orbit. Universities conduct basic research, analyze data, design advanced components, and frequently build novel instruments for exploratory spacecraft. Dr. Roe has worked for government, university, and corporate aerospace organizations; he will give a general overview of career opportunities and answer questions.
Sam Medley (March 5th time and place to be announced http://bcl.state.ar.us )
Title: Amateur Astronomer
Have you ever seen Saturn or Mars through a telescope?
Sam will bring his telescope, you bring thermos of hot cocoa and dress warm and we will meet together and gaze into the night sky to view Saturn and Mars.
Other Events:
Winter Reading Program: Jan 4th Trek across the universe with BCL, Enterprise- See circulation desk for details.
“My Vision of the Universe” Community Quilt Contest January 22nd - . Vote for your favorite quilt or wall hanging. Voting slips at circulation desk. Please, one vote per person.
The Lyric Theater: Check out The Lyric for scheduled events during this time for fun family movies. http://www.thelyricharrison.org |
