Cost: $15.00 per class per person ($25 for two children)
All parents/guardians are admitted free
(Cost for the entire series: $120.00; $210.00 for two children)
You may attend any or all of these stand-alone classes. Attendance at any given class is not required to enroll in any of the subsequent classes. You may register either by e-mailing edward.herrickgleason@maine.edu or calling 207-780-4249. Walk-ins welcome, as well. NOTE: All the classes are conducted on Wednesday mornings 10:30 – noon.
#1: Wednesday, March 6: THE MOON
Learn all about the moon: its motions, phases and origins. How can we track the moon? How can you predict its upcoming phases? Is it really moving away from Earth?
# 2: Wednesday, March 13: THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Embark on a trip through the solar system. Learn about the Sun and the myriad worlds revolving around it. This class includes a showing of “Destination Solar System”
# 3: Wednesday, March 20: SPRING NIGHT SKY
An entire class devoted to the night sky. Today we’ll conduct a thorough tour of the spring night sky. See the constellations Aries, Taurus, Orion, Gemini and more!
# 4: Wednesday, March 27: THE 2024 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
Are you as excited as we are for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse?! Today we’ll learn about solar eclipses. Why do they happen? Why are they so rare…or are they rare? What will we see during the April 8th event and where will we have to go to see the total eclipse. This class includes the “Totality” planetarium show.
# 5: Wednesday, April 3: THE 2024 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
We’re less than a week away from the April 8th total solar eclipse! Today we’ll learn about solar eclipses. Why do they happen? Why are they so rare…or are they rare? What will we see during the April 8th event and where will we have to go to see the total eclipse. This class includes the “Totality” planetarium show.”
# 6: Wednesday, April 10: USING PLANISPHERES
Star wheels! Learn to use these magical wheels that enable us to track the constellations throughout the year and to even predict the times of sunrise and sunset. With planispheres one can know how the sky appears on any date at any time of night or day!
# 7: Wednesday, April 24: SPACE WEATHER
Aurora borealis! Comets. Meteor showers! Space Weather involves many different phenomena. Learn about space weather in today’s class. Class ends with an 11-minute program entitled “Aurora Storm.”
# 8: Wednesday, May 1: UNDERSTANDING STARS
They are the jewels of the sky: the light from which permeates the Universe. How do stars generate energy? How long do they live? What are their life cycles? How much do we know about stars? What is the Sun’s ultimate fate? This class includes the show “Journey to a Billion Suns”
# 9: Wednesday, May 8: BIG BANG AND COSMOLOGY
The Universe was born billions of years ago. What happened during the earliest epochs of the Universe? How can we know about the early Universe? Is our Universe just one of many?
# 10: Wednesday, May 15: SUMMER NIGHT SKY
Are you ready for summer?! Yes, well, it is about a month away now. Today we’ll guide you through the summer night sky. See the Summer Triangle, Hercules, Draco, Delphinus and many more famous summer star patterns.