Public Night Schedule
Drake Municipal Observatory
2020 Lecture Series
The term “20-20” is a synonym for having clear vision. For the year 2020 the Drake Observatory lecture series will present a clear vision of our Solar System. During the coming year we will follow the birth, formation, exploration and subsequent fanciful missions to the far reaches of our solar system including a stop at each of the planets, dwarf planets and some of the comets.
Lectures begin at 8:00 pm | Sky Viewing begins at dark, if clear | Admission is free and open to all
Spring: “On The Orion Spur” The formation of a solar system and its evolution.
Summer: “Taking A Closer Look” The actual investigation of our Solar System by probes.
Fall: “Potatoes On Mars / Tube Worms on Titan” Living environments on the other celestial bodies.
Spring Lecture Series
On The Orion Spur
March 20: Happy Birthday: A 3rd Generation star that formed in some backwater subdivision of a medium sized galaxy with all the “right stuff” to make us.
March 27: Gravity Wells and Bathtubs: A close look on how to construct a Solar System.
April 3: Spinning Globes of Glowing Goo: Planets start off looking the same, but are quickly separated by their make-up.
April 10: A Fortuitous Hit: Weighing more than twice all the other planets combined there are times when being the bully is a good thing.
April 17: A Violent Childhood: Growing up in a new neighborhood can be difficult.
April 24: Epochs Of Change: The most consistent feature of our solar system is change. Change starts and ends with the Sun.
May 1: The Miracle Of Water: Once believed to be only on the Earth, this complex molecule has been found everywhere.
May 8: Other Solar Systems: It has been shown that virtually every star has a solar system.
