Come to the NASA Goddard Visitor Center for celebrating International Observe the Moon Night

Come to the NASA Goddard Visitor Center on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm for a fun-filled evening celebrating International Observe the Moon Night. Enjoy guest speakers, hands-on activities, laser ranging facility tours*, a public unveiling of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) images, and of course, Moon observations! Learn why the Moon goes through phases, how it came to look like it does today, and what we’ve discovered as LRO orbits about 30 miles above Moon’s surface. The 2010 International Observe the Moon Night is our opportunity to celebrate the science returned from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which was built at NASA Goddard and reached lunar orbit on June 23, 2009.

* Laser ranging facility tours are open to the first 100 people on a first-come, first-served basis, so arrive at 6:30 pm to ensure your space!

Agenda for the International Observe the Moon Night
(Hands-on activities and moon observations from 6:45 pm – 10:00 pm)

6:30 pm - Welcome and introduction
6:45 pm - Remote presentation by a scientist from the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, TX
6:45 pm - Science On a Sphere shows every 15 minutes, hands-on activities begin
7:00 pm - Laser ranging tours begin and run every half hour, moon observation with amateur astronomers begins
7:30 pm - 8:15 pm - Presentation by local lunar expert
8:30 pm - 9:15 pm - Presentation by local lunar expert
9:15 pm - 10:00 pm – Hands-on activities, moon observation with amateur astronomers