Moon, Jupiter, galaxies to be in focus at Astronomy Open House

A tradition at Arizona State University’s West campus continues on Nov. 9, as the fall semester’s Astronomy Open House event takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. Telescopes will be set up on the bike path west of the soccer field and near the Central Plant building on the campus at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix.

“The timing of this semester’s event is good for viewing the moon, Jupiter, stars and galaxies,” said Paul Schmidtke, senior lecturer in astronomy with ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. “We’ll also observe star clusters, nebulae and other objects in the November sky.

“The Astronomy Open House is fun for the whole family. For many participants, it’s the first opportunity they’ve ever had to see the night sky through a telescope,” Schmidtke says.

The event is free and open to the public. Visitor parking costs $2 per hour.

For more information, visit http://www.west.asu.edu/atpcs/AOHFall2010.jpg or contact Schmidtke at paul.schmidtke@asu.edu.