SpaceU is once again participating in an annual international β and planetary β event: International Observe the Moon Night, which promotes awareness of lunar science and exploration. As part of the annual event, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ will host its own Observe the Moon Knight β providing free access to telescopes and space-related activities around the Reflecting Pond on Oct. 21. The event is free and open to the public.
Some of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs space experts will be on hand to help participants catch the best lunar views from campus. The event will be held 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, weather permitting. That is before the night sky is the darkest, but you can still see the moon, says ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ College of Sciences Assistant Professor of Physics Adrienne βAddieβ Dove.
Dove and Professor of Physics Yan Fernandez will be in attendance sharing insight on their research related to the moon, including NASAβs Lunar-VISE mission, which will be exploring a region of the moon to identify minerals and chemical resources.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Libraries and a few student organizations will have booths and activities for attendees to learn more about astronomy and physics β from meteorites to water rockets and exploring moon craters. Attendees can also learn about the moon as they collect stamps for a lunar passport at each of the space stations, staffed by ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ planetary scientists, science librarian and members of the universityβs Astronomy Society.
Help ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ continue to provide stellar experiences for students and the Central Florida community by .
Sponsored by ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs , Observe the Moon Knight is just one of many events hosted by Robinson Observatory and the student-run Astronomy Society.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is known as SpaceU since it was founded in 1963 to develop science and talent in support of space research. The university continues its strong tradition of βreaching for the starsβ β from producing its own simulated Martian soil to more than a dozen projects aimed at getting people back on the moon safely, many of which directly support NASAβs Artemis program. In fact, nearly 30% of Kennedy Space Center employes graduated from ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. More than a dozen ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ researchers have asteroids named after them, and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has a planet named in its honor.
Honoring ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs long-standing history of work with space industry carries into ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ athletic programs with themed Space Games that first launched with football in 2016. On Oct. 18, the No. 2 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ menβs soccer plays its Space Game against Coastal Carolina. Womenβs soccer and volleyball have also played Space Games this year.
On Nov. 11, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ football will play its seventh annual Space Game, with Oklahoma State as this yearβs opponent. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs 50-yard line at the FBC Mortgage Stadium lines up on the exact latitude as Launch Complex 39A, NASAβs most historic launch pad, located about 35 miles east of the university.
