KOKOMO, Ind. — This free monthly Observatory open house will allow viewers to see a crescent moon, Saturn, and Mars.
Patrick Motl, associate professor of physics, will begin the open house at 7 p.m. Sunday, November 11.
Along with being able to view a crescent moon, Saturn, and Mars in the evening sunset, a hint of winter highlights will come also. The Pleiades will be low in the sky at sunset,” Motl said.
The Pleiades is also known as the Seven Sisters and Messier 45. It’s an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky.
Motl will give a retrospective of the Kepler mission that recently ended.
Kepler’s mission to determine the likelihood of planets orbiting stars has changed our perspective from our own solar system being perhaps unique to the understanding that most all stars have planetary companions,” Motl said.
After the discussion, star gazers may view the crescent moon, Saturn, and Mars through the Observatory’s two telescopes, which include a six-inch Takahashi refracting telescope and a 16-inch Meade reflecting telescope mounted together. The Takahashi provides exceptionally sharp images of planets, while the Meade allows viewers to see fainter objects in the sky, due to its larger light-collecting area.
The event is open to the public, and free parking is available on campus. The IU Kokomo Observatory is at 2660 S. Washington St.
Story written by Makenzi Ruff. Makenzi is an intern in the Office of Media and Marketing.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.