Observatory lecture series opens up the night sky for everyone

March 11, 2009

Many times people can be turned off by astronomy because they think that much of the subject matter is over their heads. The University of Wisconsin – Whitewater’s Observatory Lecture Series tries to combat that mental attitude.

“Public outreach has always been a passion of mine,” Physics Professor Paul Rybski said. “Bringing astronomy down to earth for people is something that I strive for.”

The next lecture will be “Mapping the Milky Way” by Physics Professor Bob Benjamin at 8 p.m. Friday, March 20, in Upham Hall.

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and Rybski thinks this is as good a time as ever to get involved with astronomy. “We’re living in the golden age of astronomy,” he said. “With all the scientific advances over the past 20 years and with telescopes and computers being as powerful as they are now, this is the perfect time for people to get interested in astronomy because everything is at their fingertips.”

The series, which has existed since 1987, is designed to give people a better understanding of what lays beyond the horizon. All of the lectures are written at the junior high level and designed so that everyone can enjoy them. After each lecture, if the sky is clear, people can use the observatory to marvel at what exists above them.

“Light pollution has robbed people of the night sky that was available to everyone up until the late 19th century,” Rybski said. “People can use the observatory to see the true impact of the night sky.”

The two lectures following will both be by professors of UW-Madison. Astronomy Professor Ed Churchwell’s lecture, “Revealing the Unseen Galaxy” will be on April 17 and Physics Professor John Everett’s lecture, “Black Holes: From Controversial to Commonplace” will be on May 8. Both lectures start at 8 p.m.

All lectures are free and the public is encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Paul Rybski at 262-472-5766 or rybskip@uww.edu.