The University of Colorado at Boulder's Sommers-Bausch Observatory will host an open house and tour in conjunction with the Historic Boulder organization on Friday, Oct. 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The free, public events will include a tour of the observatory and demonstrations of the telescopes, dome and other equipment at the observatory. Keith Gleason, the observatory's manager, will give a presentation about the history and preservation of the observatory.
The schedule of events includes:
o 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Gleason will present the talk "Sommers-Bausch Observatory and the Origins of Boulder Space Science and Astronomy"
o 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., tour of the observatory
o 7 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., discussion of upcoming observatory events
o 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., CU-Boulder astronomy student presentation about how to use the observatory's telescopes
o 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., observatory telescopes available for public use, weather permitting
o 8:45 p.m. to 9 p.m., discussion about constellations and star viewing on the observing deck
Also on Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m., Fiske Planetarium will host a talk by Professor Fran Bagenal about "Jupiter and New Horizons." Bagenal, a co-investigator on NASA's New Horizons mission and a CU-Boulder professor and astronomer, will explore Jupiter and its many moons during the talk. Her talk also will be presented on Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m., in the planetarium.
Admission to the "Jupiter and New Horizons" show is $6 for adults, $5 for students and $3.50 for seniors and children.
Historic Boulder was founded in 1972 as Boulder's first permanent preservation organization. The group often holds free discussions about historic sites, events and issues at various locations in Boulder.
The CU-Boulder observatory was completed in 1953 and is named in honor of Mayme Sommers and the Bausch and Lomb Co.
For more information about the Sommers-Bausch Observatory visit the Web site at cosmos.colorado.edu/sbo.