THE UNIVERSITY of Reading is set to host an evening event in which telescopes will be available to the public to use next week.
The university will open up its array of telescopes to the public and will hold a series of talks celebrating the moon.
Members of the public will be able to attend as part of International Observe the Moon Night, an annual event which encourages the public to take part in amateur astronomy and to find out more about our closest neighbour in the solar system.
Dr James O’Donoghue, Associate Professor in Planetary Astronomy, will lead an introductory talk featuring an animated tour of the moon, followed by Professor in Space and Atmospheric Physics Chris Scott, who will give a talk about weather in space and the Earth-Moon system.
Lecturer Cong Xia Li will examine the moon in Chinese culture, followed by Professor of Classical Archaeology and Curator of the Ure Museum Amy Smith, who will speak about the moon’s role in the festival calendar of ancient Athens.
Associate Professor of Language and Migration Dr Tony Capstick will close the talks with a lecture about how language associated with the moon has evolved over time.
After the talks, attendees will be given access to an array of telescopes to view the moon, accompanied with information provided by Professor Anne Lawrence-Mathers.
Dr James O’Donoghue, the University of Reading space scientist who organised the event, said: “NASA came up with Observe the Moon Night to celebrate lunar observation, science, and the cultural impact that the Moon has had on us throughout history.
“We are fortunate to have the Moon right on our celestial doorstep—so large and close that we can see its details with the unaided eye.
“I hope we can inspire people about science by showing how the Moon has impacted humanity this September– with a bit of luck and good weather, we’ll take an even closer look through a telescope.”
The event begins in the Edith Morely Lecture Room, Whiteknights Campus, from 7.15pm, followed by talks from 7.30pm.
From 8.20pm, attendees will be invited to use the telescopes.
The event is free to attend, but sign-up is necessary as spaces are limited.
Full details and sign-up are available via: research.reading.ac.uk/met-spate/international-observe-the-moon-night-2024
* Correction: This article previously incorrectly stated that the telescopes were owned by NASA; the telescopes belong to the University of Reading.
