1 December 2011

Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day this Sunday

| Gungahlin Al
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Mt Stromlo Observatory will be open to the public during its Annual Open Day this Sunday 4th December 2011 10am to 4pm. Entry to the event is free.

Mt Stromlo Observatory is the research headquarters for the Australian National University Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. It’s home to the country’s leading research in optical and infrared astronomy and astrophysics. The Research School celebrates 100 years of observing in 2011.

Music in the Yale-Columbia ruins: enjoy great music throughout the day.
Talk to Astronomers about the research they do.
Solar observing – look at the Sun safely.
Laser Range Finding: hourly tour the EOS facilities and discover the work conducted at Mt Stromlo.
The Café will be open for food and drinks.
Enjoy a sausage sizzle and cake stall by Mt Stromlo High School.
The Oddie Telescope: take in the views over the Brindabella ranges.
Prizes and competitions to enter.
Visit the AITC: tour the new Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre and learn about the leading research and technology.
Listen to talks in the lecture theatre by astronomers and astrophysicists.
Discover the skills and technical careers needed to run a modern observatory.
The mandatory jumping castle for children.
Meteors and comets – make your own comet, and try to lift our meteorite.
74” Dome open to view the devastating effects of the 2003 Canberra bush fires (it is so sad in there).

And come back at 8.00pm for star gazing – new moon so it should be reasonable “seeing”.

Public Lectures by Astronomers:
Prof Geoff Bicknell – “Black Holes, Jets and the Formation of Galaxies” 10.30am
Prof Martin Asplund – “The First Stars in the Universe” 11.30am
Prof Paul Francis – “Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of the 11.30am Universe” 12.30pm
Prof Helmut Jerjen – “6/10/1923: The Night the Universe Grew a Thousand Times Bigger” 1.30pm
Dr Charley Lineweaver – “Are We Alone” 2.30pm

There’s also a “Nobel Prize Winner – Brian Schmidt display” – the man himself standing on a plinth? Who knows?

Full program: http://msowww.anu.edu.au/~kiri/OpenDayProgramandMap.pdf

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reallyedbrown10:28 am 01 Dec 11

Wow, sounds great! Sounds like some excellent talks, and a great day to get the kids learning about science!

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