Statewide Astronomy Night Comes to Museum April 29

Free Planetarium Shows & Activities About the Night Sky

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Learn more about the amazing telescopes of today with free planetarium shows and speakers when Statewide Astronomy Night (SWAN) returns to downtown Kalamazoo's Kalamazoo Valley Museum for yet another year on Saturday, April 29, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. There is no charge to the event nor to the museum, and the programming is suitable for adults and children. Telescope designer and expert Kevin Iott will deliver the keynote address, at 7 p.m., titled "In Pursuit of the Perfect Telescope."

In addition to activities on the ground floor, there will be several presentations in the planetarium. At 5:15 p.m., take in a live tour of noteworthy stars and constellations visible in the evening in early May. At 6 p.m., the Fiske Planetarium of Colorado will premiere "5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI," which discusses how astronomers are using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak, Arizona, to map the distribution of galaxies and the structure of the universe. The keynote speaker follows.

Wrapping up the evening at 8 p.m., Eric Schreur, the museum's retired planetarium coordinator, longtime amateur astronomer and lifetime member of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, will host a remote observation in the planetarium. He will connect via live video from his Sternegarten Observatory with a "tour" of his observatory, telescope, camera system and control room. Following this 10-minute introduction, he will direct his telescope to observe and identify features found on the moon.

Statewide Astronomy Night is coordinated by Michigan State University's annual Science Festival. Through it, venues around the state of Michigan open their doors on the same night each year to help people see and connect with the beauty and science that lies overhead.

Find more information about the programming planned for the Kalamazoo Valley Museum at kalamazoomuseum.org. The museum is operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and is governed by its Board of Trustees.