Star Light, Star Bright

Keeping Up With Kids  |  04/18/2013 9:00 am

Look up at the sky and you might feel rather small, but study the sky and you feel like a spec?tinier than any of the stars that make up the Big Dipper.

The sky has mystified humans for centuries and centuries, dating as far back as the Bronze Age.  Luckily, our Greek ancestors took good notes, and there’s more known about the stars in our solar system than ever before.

Ritter Planetarium and the Toledo Astronomical Association (TAA) invite families with aspiring astronomers to Astronomy Day on Saturday, April 20^th. The University features four exciting programs scheduled on the hour from 1-4 p.m. Members of the TAA will be on-hand all day to discuss telescopes. All events are free and open to the public.

Starting at 1 p.m., guests can watch One, World, One Sky, Big Bird’s Adventure. The program is a full-dome show that follows Sesame Street's Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from China. Together they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the Moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth. This program is a brilliant spectacle of light and color as the furry friends watch the stars twinkle over Sesame Street. One World, One Sky, Big Bird’s Adventure aims to nurture a child's natural sense of wonder about the night sky while connecting kids across nations through a common bond in learning about the sky. 

At 2 p.m., a screening of Tales of the Maya Skies will commence. This digital full-dome show features a custom score and visuals that immerses the audience in Mayan astronomy, art and culture. The film is narrated by Latin Grammy winner, Lila Downs. Tales of the Maya Skies inspires and educates through its description of the Maya’s accurate astronomical achievements, and how astronomy connected them to the universe.

Next, come and learn about the new Discovery Channel Telescope and the University of Toledo’s partnership with the historic Lowell Observatory at 3 p.m. View images of the world’s newest research observatory and how it will change UT’s astronomy program.

The day concludes with the full-length feature film presentation of The City Dark. This award-winning independent film explores the impact of light pollution on astronomers, wildlife, culture and health. The film starts at 4 p.m. and is 84 minutes long.

For a complete schedule of Astronomy Day 2013 events, please visit http://www.utoledo.edu/nsm/rpbo/specialevents/astronomyday2013.html.