The Memphis Astronomical Society will meet at 8 p.m. Aug. 3 in Room 155 of Assisi Hall Science Auditorium on the campus of Christian Brothers University in Memphis. The gathering will cover these topics:
- “Stellar Evolution,” by Whitney Smith: One of the most fascinating topics in all of astronomy teaches us how even the heavenly bodies of the universe are not permanent … and that is stellar evolution. Smith will illustrate the incredible and active life cycles of the stars that make up the center of planetary systems, stellar groups, and massive galaxies.
- “The Birth of Modern Science,” by Jeremy Veldman: As Mars reaches opposition and retrograde motion, we look at mankind’s nearly 3,000-year quest to understand the complex paths of “the wandering stars.” From antiquity, the motion of the Sun, Moon, and Stars were fairly easy to understand and model, but the planets are nuts. This talk looks at the long history of mankind’s attempt to come up with a self-consistent, predictive model of the motions of the night sky, marking the birth of modern science.
Other events
There also will be evening sky observations at these times: 8:45 p.m. Aug. 4 and 11, dark sky observing at Burton’s Sugar Farm. See MemphisAstro.org for details.
At 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18 there will be a Shelby Farms Star Party as a public outreach event.
All observing session are weather permitting.
For more information, email MMatthews@BEC-Memphis.com or ric@MemphisAstro.org, or visit MemphisAstro.org.
