TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Visitors have five opportunities in coming weeks to view objects in space through The University of Alabama’s telescopes.
The first opportunity is Friday, Sept. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in UA’s Gallalee Hall. Visitors can view the moon, weather permitting, through UA’s 10-inch refracting telescope within the dome on top of Gallalee Hall. The session’s speaker will be Dr. Gene Byrd, professor of astronomy.
On Friday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. visitors may peer through UA’s 16-inch telescope located at Moundville Archaeological Park. This viewing will focus on galaxies, star clusters and nebulae. Drs. Ron Buta and William Keel, both professors of astronomy, will be the speakers. The Moundville telescope is set up on a pad in a field across the road from the park’s museum. Parking is available at the museum and near the park’s conference center.
The other public viewings, all at UA’s Gallalee Hall, are:
Friday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. – Ring Nebula, Jupiter and Saturn will be the focus, and Keel will be the speaker.
Friday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. – Jupiter, Saturn and a crescent moon will be the focus, and Dr. Raymond White, professor of astronomy, will be the speaker.
Monday, Dec. 25, 9:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. – A partial solar eclipse will be the focus.
These events are free and open to the public. Gallalee Hall is located on the UA campus near the intersection of Hackberry Lane and University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa.
For more information, contact UA’s department of physics and astronomy at 205/348-5050.
Contact
Chris Bryant, Assistant Director of Media Relations, 205/348-8323
Source
Dr. William Keel, 205/348-5050