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400 Years after Galileo, Heavens Still Open for Viewing at Embry-Riddle

Photo of Moon Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 15, 2009 -- The view of the heavens that Galileo’s telescope gave him 400 years ago was astounding, if not frightening. It was far more awesome than anything the naked eye could see then or today.

On Oct. 23, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is inviting the public to its Daytona Beach campus to see what Galileo saw – and more. Using sophisticated telescopes at the university’s Creekside Observatory (http://observatory.db.erau.edu), stargazers of all ages will observe and learn about the crescent Moon and its craters and mountains, as well as the planet Jupiter and its four bright moons.

Visitors will also see the planet Uranus, the first planet discovered with a telescope in 1781, as well as the colorful double star Alberio and the double cluster in Perseus, according to Jason Aufdenberg, a professor of physics and astronomy at Embry-Riddle.

The event is one in a series of viewings on the campus for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, commemorating the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of a telescope to study the skies and the breakthroughs in astronomy that followed.

“Galileo’s transformation of the telescope from a gadget into a bona fide scientific instrument revolutionized observational astronomy and, in the process, he turned the science of astronomy on end,” said Robert Fleck, a professor of physics and science historian at Embry-Riddle.

Viewing Schedule:
Oct. 23: View the crescent Moon, planet Jupiter, planet Uranus, double star Alberio, and double cluster of Perseus.
Nov. 20: View the Pleiades (Seven Sisters), double cluster of Perseus, and Jupiter.
Feb. 19: View five-day-old crescent Moon, Mars, and the Great Nebula in Orion.
March 26: View Mars, nearly-full Moon, and triple star Beta Monocerotis (the Unicorn).
April 16: View planet Saturn, planet Venus, and two-day-old crescent Moon.

Viewings take place from 8-11 p.m. and are subject to weather conditions.

Embry-Riddle’s Creekside Observatory houses a Corrected Dall-Kirkham 20-inch telescope on a Paramount ME mount, a Takahashi 150 mm aperture refractor, three 12-inch Schmidt Cassegrain telescopes, and a pair of mounted 100 mm objective binoculars.

At the viewings, students from Embry-Riddle’s astronomy club will operate telescopes, answer questions, and demonstrate how to use a telescope and navigate the night sky. Students will also sell baked goods, t-shirts, star charts, and drinks to raise money for astronomy equipment, according to the club’s president, Michael McVicker, a junior studying aerospace engineering.

The Creekside Observatory is located at the southwest corner of the Lehman Engineering and Technology Center on the Embry-Riddle campus at 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach. All viewings are free and open to the public.

For more information about the viewings, please contact Jason Aufdenberg at (386) 226-7123 or jason.aufdenburg@erau.edu.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.