Join us on August 11, for a dazzling evening of stargazing and viewing of the annual Perseid meteor shower – with outdoor in-person and live-streaming options. These brilliant meteors radiate from the Perseus constellation and appear throughout the sky. Our panel of experts will introduce us to stellar science subjects, such as microwave telescopes and the latest space exploration missions. Then we’ll head out to observe the night sky with our personal telescopes or the naked eye.
This year, we have a blended event with two options for our Stargazing STEM Café. We will have an outdoor in-person event that will be live streamed from the Open Range Southwest Grill in Sugar Grove and a virtual option as our past several cafés. The virtual live streamed event via Adobe Connect is FREE – register for the online STEM Café at http://go.niu.edu/stargazingonline
Outdoor in-person registration for groups of up to four persons is $15 and includes admission and a small NIU blanket. Register for the outdoor event at http://go.niu.edu/stargazing Three talks are scheduled from 7-9:00 PM followed by viewing the skies with the naked eye or your own telescope. NIU STEAM is unable to bring its own telescopes as we are unable to share equipment during the pandemic and meteor shows can be viewed with the naked eye. Food (hamburgers, chicken sandwich, brats etc.) will be available for purchase as early as 6:00 PM in case people would like to eat before and find their location. Food will be available for purchase at the Pine Room window from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. Guests will check in with Judy Dymond to get their blanket. Attendees must follow social distancing protocols. Masks are required when purchasing food, using restrooms, or when within 6 feet of a person outside your household. An outdoor pavilion is available in case of rain. Outdoor in-person registration is limited to 50 people to ensure safe distancing.
We are happy to bring you three speakers:
Chris Stoughton, FermiLab Scientist, Microwave Maps of Matter and Energy
Joel Knapper, NASA Ambassador, NASA’s Return to the Moon in 2024 – How
Different Our New Journey Will Be
Jeremy Benson, NIU STEM Educator, What We Can See in the Sky Tonight
