UPDATE, 1:30 p.m. May 30
Due to demand (free tickets were gone by 10:30 a.m. Wednesday), the UAA Planetarium has added a second free talk on Venus Transits at 8 p.m. on June 1. Free ticket details below.
Also, one of the groups visiting UAA Tuesday is a team from the University of North Dakota. They'll be webcasting the event.
Free lectures:
Friday, June 1, 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
UAA Planetarium, ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building
Viewing opportunity:
Tuesday, June 5, 2:06-8:46 p.m.
East campus/CPISB parking garage, rooftop
On Tuesday, June 5 from 2:06-8:46 p.m., Anchorage will witness the planet Venus transiting across the face of the Sun.
Venus Transit: Tuesday, June 5, 2:06-8:46 p.m.
This Friday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., join Ron DiIulio, Planetarium and Astronomy Program Director at the University of North Texas, who will deliver a talk called "Captain Cook, Citizen Scientists and Venus Transits." He connects the dots from astronomer Edmond Halley (of the Comet) to explorer James Cook (of the Inlet) to the 1769 transit of Venus.
Ron has been appointed as one of about 200 NASA Solar System Ambassadors from around the world, charged with the responsibility of sharing and interpreting NASA developments. His works and publications include several award-winning video documentaries that have shown on PBS, including "Dark Noon," a video taken during the great solar eclipse of 1979. He is visiting Anchorage in order to observe and record the upcoming June 5 Venus Transit and, by combining measurements with his colleagues in Hawaii. to recreate Halley's method for calculating the distance to the Sun.
This lecture is FREE and open to the general public. It is primarily a PowerPoint presentation with many compelling visuals and a few fulldome planetarium animations. Seats may be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis at http://UAATix.com.
Venus Transit viewing opportunity:
And stay tuned to all the regular UAA Planetarium feeds (Facebook, Twitter, and email) for information about the opportunities we have planned for the astronomical event of a lifetime. On Tuesday, June 5 from 2:06-8:46 p.m., Anchorage will witness the planet Venus transiting across the face of the Sun. We are planning to have telescopes on the roof of UAA's East/CPISB parking garage, as well as webcast viewing and planetarium demos inside the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building. Details to follow soon!
Other coverage you may enjoy:
Venus Transit 2012, Wikipedia
Venus Transit called rare scientific opportunity, Huffington Post
Transit of Venus.org
Alaskans get best view of rare astronomical event, Alaska Dispatch
UAA Planetarium website
UAA Planetarium on Facebook
