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AstroNights LIVE: Mars Mania

Friday, October 16, 7:00pm 

View Recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/L5Z5FWmFsac

Recording will also be available on our youtube channel after the event.

Program Description:

On October 16, join us as we LAUNCH MA STEM Week 2020 as well as the next season of AstroNights LIVE! Our guest for this special kick-off event will be Dr. Jeff Hoffman, former astronaut and professor of the practice in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. We’ll spend the evening exploring Mars, the red planet that’s fueled the imaginations of Earthlings for centuries. On October 13, Mars will reach opposition, the position at which Mars is the shortest possible distance from Earth. For us, this means great views of Mars in our evening sky! For mission planners, oppositions determine the timing for launches. NASA’s latest Mars mission, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, on its way to Mars now, carries MOXIE, an instrument developed through a collaboration including Dr. Hoffman’s department at MIT. Find out where Perseverance will land, and what we hope to learn from this mission!

About AstroNights:

AstroNights is a live, family-friendly exploration of your night sky that you can join from the comfort of your home. View live on YouTube or join the Zoom Webinar for extra interactive features! Our educators leave audiences with simple advice for observing your real night sky when the program is over. From the colorful characters in our own solar system to the weird and wonderful things far beyond, each program is sure to contain something of interest to armchair astronomers of all ages. Monthly each 3rd Friday. Click here for more information about past AstroNights events, including how to access recordings.

*As the kick-off event for both AstroNights and MA STEM Week, the “formal program” will be longer than usual.

Resources

The links below include resources mentioned during the program, suggested follow-up activities, and more!

Mars Opposition - A series of articles from EarthSky that explains oppositions, why not all oppositions are the same, and why opposition isn’t always the shortest the distance between Earth and Mars

Observing Mars - This site lets you put in your location and the time you wish to observe, and helps you find the Red Planet and learn about why 2020 is such a special year for Mars.

Mars 2020 STEM Toolkit - Bring the exciting engineering and science of the Mars 2020 mission to students in the classroom and at home with STEM lessons and do-it-yourself projects covering a variety of STEM topics

3D Rover - Explore a 3D model of the newest Mars rover Perseverance

NASA’s Mars Exploration Program - The Perseverance rover is just the latest of NASA’s missions to Mars. How have we tried to explore the Red Planet?

NASA’s Perseverance page - All about the rover on its way to Mars.

The Science of Perseverance - A really cool video that talks about the science Perseverance will do on Mars (3 minutes)

Ingenuity - There is a helicopter on its way to Mars! Learn about how it will work (includes activities for kids).

Earlier Event: September 26
Big Astronomy - Worldwide Premiere
Later Event: October 19
Solar System Explorers