{"id":4404,"date":"2015-12-18T14:23:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T19:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/?post_type=news&p=4404"},"modified":"2016-01-14T14:59:16","modified_gmt":"2016-01-14T19:59:16","slug":"astronomy-days-2016-explores-the-search-for-life-beyond-earth","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/news\/astronomy-days-2016-explores-the-search-for-life-beyond-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Join the search for life beyond Earth at Museum\u2019s Astronomy Days"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are a trillion planets in the Milky Way, so it\u2019s hard to believe we\u2019re alone. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences invites you to join them in the search for life beyond Earth during this year\u2019s Astronomy Days<\/a><\/strong>, taking place Saturday, January 30, 9 a.m.\u20135 p.m.<\/span> and Sunday, January 31, noon\u20135 p.m.<\/span> Special guests this year include astronaut and native North Carolinian Christina Hammock Koch, plus senior astronomer and director of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute Dr. Seth Shostak.<\/p>\n

Koch, this year\u2019s keynote speaker, is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham as well as North Carolina State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Bachelor of Science in Physics, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering by 2002. She also graduated from the NASA Academy program at Goddard Space Flight Center in 2001, and spent the next 10+ years gaining experience both in space science instrument development and remote scientific field engineering. Koch was selected in June 2013 as one of eight members of the 21st<\/sup> NASA astronaut class and just recently completed astronaut candidate training in July 2015 \u2014 she is now qualified for future assignment. Koch will speak Saturday, January 30, 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.<\/span> and Sunday, January 31, 2 p.m.<\/span>in the Museum\u2019s WRAL 3D Theater.<\/p>\n

Shostak developed an interest in extraterrestrial life at the age of 10, when he first picked up a book about the solar system. This innocent beginning eventually led to a degree in radio astronomy, and now, as Senior Astronomer at SETI, he is an enthusiastic participant in the Institute\u2019s observing programs and firmly believes we\u2019ll find life beyond Earth in the next 25 years. In his presentation, \u201cSearching for ET,\u201d Shostak will discuss how scientists are searching for aliens and what would happen if we found them [Saturday, January 30, 3 p.m. and Sunday, January 31, 3:30 p.m.<\/span> in the<\/em> WRAL 3D Theater]. Shostak has also co-authored a college textbook on astrobiology, written three trade books on SETI, published more than 400 popular articles on science \u2014 including regular contributions to the Huffington Post<\/em> and Discover<\/em> magazine blogs \u2014 and hosts the SETI Institute\u2019s weekly science radio show, \u201cBig Picture Science.\u201d\u00a0[Check out his TED talk: \u201cET is (probably) out there \u2014 get ready<\/a>\u201d]<\/p>\n

Also speaking will be Dr. Klaus Pontoppidan, associate astronomer at the\u00a0Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Pontoppidan is part of a team working on the\u00a0James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the scientific successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that will be the largest telescope ever put into space. The JWST will be able to spot the most distant galaxies in the Universe, as well as dust and molecular gas around young stars in the process of making their own planetary systems, and to characterize the atmospheres of mature exoplanets. The telescope will also produce spectacular images with far more detail than ever before, worthy of the legacy of the mighty Hubble.\u00a0[Saturday, January 30, 11 a.m.<\/span> in the SECU Daily Planet Theater.]<\/p>\n

Astronomy Days, presented in collaboration with the Raleigh Astronomy Club, has something for visitors of all ages. Dozens of displays, presentations and activities will cover everything from exoplanet geology to meteorite identification. New this year, \u201cViews of the International Space Station\u201d \u2014 provided by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) \u2014 gives visitors a hands-on virtual tour of the various laboratories and their capabilities as well as the science aboard the ISS. A \u201cUV Beads\u201d craft activity teaches kids about the Sun\u2019s ultraviolet rays as they make their own bracelets out of white beads that turn rainbow colors in daylight.<\/p>\n

Aspiring rocketeers can gaze at the 40-foot working models of the Tripoli Rocketry Association. Sun worshipers can also peer at the Sun (safely) through solar telescopes provided by the Raleigh Astronomy Club. Visitors can also make and blast off their own bottle rocket on the Museum plaza, meet live animals of the constellations (like the bearded dragon, which represents the constellation Draco), find out how much they weigh on different moons and planets, or don an astronaut outfit and have their picture taken with Cary Space Innovation and Design Camp. There will also be themed face painting (small fee) with aliens, galaxies and other celestial-inspired designs, plus a return visit from NASA Langley\u2019s Spacey Casey.<\/em><\/p>\n

Other Astronomy Days exhibitors include NC State University, <\/strong>Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI), Cary Space I.D. (Innovation & Design) Camp<\/strong>, CHAOS <\/strong>(Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society), Duke University, NC Statewide Star Party<\/strong>, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, and SAS Curriculum Pathways. For more information about Astronomy Days, visit www.naturalsciences.org or contact Senior Manager of Educational Collaborations Kari Wouk at kari.wouk@naturalsciences.org<\/a> or\u00a0919.707.9890<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4407,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/4404"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/4404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}