The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center will host two special events to help the community prepare for International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday. ADVERTISING The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center will host two special events to help the community prepare for International Observe
The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center will host two special events to help the community prepare for International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday.
International Observe the Moon Night is an annual worldwide public event that encourages observation, appreciation and understanding of the moon and its connection to NASA planetary science and exploration. Scientists and lunar enthusiasts join forces each year to host or attend InOMN events, encouraging audiences all over the world to look at and learn about the moon together.
At noon Saturday,‘Imiloa will devote its live daily planetarium show, “Skies Above Hawai’i,” to a focus on the moon. The presentation will discuss why and how the moon’s appearance changes over the course of each month, and how these lunar phases have played a significant role in Hawaiian agriculture and fishing practices.
At 1 p.m., Rob Kelso, executive director, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, will offer a presentation in the Earl and Doris Bakken Moanahoku Hall about “Apollo Lunar Sites and Hawaiian Petroglyphs.” Kelso, a former NASA space shuttle flight director, will examine the growing concern over how to preserve historic sites on the moon, including man’s first footsteps made during the Apollo 11 landing in July 1969.
The Apollo program and its missions to the moon served as pivotal events in the Cold War and human exploration and technology, marking mankind’s first-ever visit to another celestial body. For the intervening four decades, the material culture that NASA astronauts left behind has remained undisturbed.
But China, Japan, Russia, India and the European Space Agency, plus private organizations like Google and the X Prize Foundation, all have announced plans to visit the moon and conduct robotic surface exploration during the coming decade. How should we preserve this cultural landscape of such significant historical value?
Kelso, who has experience managing a team of national experts to address this question, will reference Hawaii’s experience with petroglyph preservation and present an overview of the issues and recommended solutions for protecting and preserving the priceless sites on the moon.
The noon and 1 p.m. presentations will be included in ‘Imiloa’s daily admission. Admission is free for ‘Imiloa members.
To celebrate International Observe the Moon Night, at 7 p.m. members of the UH-Hilo Astrophysics Club will set up telescopes and host a live moon-viewing opportunity (weather permitting). The program will include a “moon selfie” picture-taking station, as well as a series of 20-minute presentations on different aspects of the moon.
The public is invited to attend free of charge. For more information, contact Wilfred Gee, University Astrophysics Club president, at 801-609-8433.
‘Imiloa Astronomy Center is open to the public from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. For more information, visit www.imiloahawaii.org.
