Astro Events this Weekend: IYA visits Pasadena & More!

The public is invited to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy 2009 at the Pasadena Convention Center on June 6. The event includes a variety of fun, family-oriented, hands-on activities and exhibit booths, such as a telescope for observing the sun and a 100-foot scale model of our solar system. Special indoor presentations will be made using a portable planetarium and a digital data immersion environment from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. The event is presented by organizations attending the subsequent summer meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

A stargazing party will follow that evening. Saturn, in particular, will be well positioned for viewing. Small telescopes will be provided by the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers.

WHEN: Saturday, June 6, from 4 to 8 p.m., followed by a stargazing party ending around 9:30 p.m. The telescope viewing and some of the afternoon outdoor activities are subject to weather conditions.

WHERE: Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St. in Pasadena. Phone number: (626) 793-2122. Driving directions and parking information are available online here. A street map posted on that site includes a rose and purple background, which indicates where the outdoor astronomy activities and bazaar will be held.

More information about the event is online at http://astronomy2009.us/newscenter/.

If that isn't enough the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center will present a cool astronomy talk and book signing this weekend. Author Evalyn Gates will present "Einstein’s Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy" on Sunday, June 7 at 1:00 p.m.