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Event
2008 May 3, Saturday, 7:00pm —
Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, Vermont (first part of presentation by Claudio
Véliz on Extraterrestrial Organisms)
2008 May 13, Tuesday, 7:00pm —
Whiting Library, Chester, Vermont (second part of presentation by Claudio
Véliz on Extraterrestrial Organisms)
Life in Our Time:
The Search for Extraterrestrial Organisms on Mars and
Europa
We may be at the threshold of the discovery that has been anticipated
since humans existed. Planetary exploration vehicles have been busy the
last few decades, and researchers who analyze the data returned by those
vehicles and orbiters are starting to see some fundamental characteristics
suggesting we may shortly find evidence for organisms other than
ourselves, of course within our own Solar System, in the immediate future.
Claudio will be discussing the two key locations of interest in a Two Part
Presentation, one held on the 3rd of May and the other on the 13th.
Talk One: Mars
The 1st part of the talk will be on Saturday the 3rd, at the Vermont Academy
in Saxtons River, at a special Vermont Academy presentation (7PM, Chivers Center).
On the 3rd, the focus will be on Mars and the upcoming landing of the
University of Arizona Phoenix Mission to search for life on on that planet
poles.
After the talk, members of SoVerA, the Vermont Academy and the Nature
Museum at Grafton, will be creating a hands-on model of the Solar System
with audience participation. And immediately after that, all will be
invited to gather at the VA Observatory where Bob Anderson, Lynn Morgan
and Claudio will be holding a Star Party with all who wish to attend,
provide a tour of the night sky and look at Mars for real using the
telescope at the Observatory and perhaps a couple of other
scopes/binocular set ups.
Talk Two: Europa
The 2nd part of the talk will be on Tuesday the 13th, at the Whiting
Library in Chester, at the monthly SoVerA meeting (7PM, Lower Level).
It will review a little of the Mars/Phoenix talk, then move on to
discuss the known physical character and future exploration of Europa,
with a mention of a couple of other candidates for life in our Solar
System. Europa, some may recall, is the moon of Jupiter that researchers
now are convinced hosts a huge under-ice ocean that is warmed from the
interior, and they are increasingly convinced that it may be harboring
life...
Also, this meeting (SoVerA; on the 13th) we will be starting discussion
regarding the changes the organization will be enjoying in just the months
ahead. If any interested individuals want to participate in that
discussion, and have an interest in playing an active role in the
administration of the organization from its early stages, this is the
meeting to attend.
On a related note, SoVerA will hold an open viewing of the live broadcast
on NASA TV of the Phoenix landing on Mars on the 25th. Venue and other
information will be posted here when we know it. The event will be in the
early evening, as the lander is due to touchdown about 8PM EDT.
The Southern Vermont Astronomy Group (SoVerA) is an organization composed
of amateur and professional astronomers, educators, students and members
of the lay public. We are dedicated to making astronomy much more
accessible to all. Talks and presentations are free, open to the public,
and held at the Whiting Library, lower level, on the second Tuesday of
every month, with observing afterwards, sky conditions permitting.
More information may be found at: http://www.sovera.org/ or by calling
802-875-6464.
Vermont Academy Map
Whiting Library Map
NASA's Phoenix lander spacecraft
DEPTHX robot
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