Moon Party at the Asistencia
The San Bernardino County Museum’s education division will join the San Bernardino Valley Amateur Astronomers to present a “Moon Party” at the Asistencia on Tuesday, October 3 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The event is free.
The Amateur Astronomers will bring powerful telescopes to offer close views of the waxing gibbous moon. The opportunity to get close-up views of the night sky is geared for all ages.
“We looked at the gibbous moon in August at the museum,” said Curator of Education Jolene Redvale, “and 150 people joined us to take a peek. Everyone loves to get a good look at our familiar moon.”
The word “gibbous” is from the Latin for “hump.” In reference to astronomy, it means that more than half of a planet or moon can be seen, but the entire disk is not illuminated.
“The gibbous moon phase is a couple of days past the first quarter phase,” said Christopher Clarke of the Amateur Astronomers. “This lovely phase reveals all sorts of crater and mountain detail. Also prominent are the large, dark, expansive “Maria”—great ancient lava flows that look like seas and were created about 3 billion years ago.”
The Moon Party will be held at the Asistencia, a San Bernardino County Museum historic site, located at 26930 Barton Road in Redlands. Call (909) 793-5402 for driving directions. The San Bernardino Valley Amateur Astronomers are an affiliate group of the San Bernardino County Museum, working with the museum to present specialized programs for adults, families, and children. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org or call (909) 307-2669 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.
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