Night sky views offered at local colleges

The night sky is on display up close and personal every night for the next month. Eight colleges and universities in the Philadelphia region have coordinated their observatories so at least one is available on any given evening until November 24th. The event marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescope.

The night sky is on display up close and personal every night for the next month. Eight colleges and universities in the Philadelphia region have coordinated their observatories so at least one is available on any given evening until November 24th. The event marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescope.

Listen:
[audio: 091019pctelescope.mp3]

The controversy surrounding the notion that the Earth is not the center of the universe has died down in the last 400 years. But how many of us have actually seen the proof of that fact?

Galileo used Jupiter’s three orbiting moons as proof that the earth is not the most important object in space. Professor David Cohen of Swarthmore College trained his telescope on those moons.

Cohen: There’s a big difference between telling a person this is true – now believe it – on the one hand, and actually demonstrating it for their eyes. Now, just taking a peep through a telescope isn’t going to convince anybody. But i think there’s something nice about seeing that with your own eyes.

Other observatories – including those at Drexel, Villanova, and the Franklin Institute – will be showing off the craters of the moon, as well.

More Information:
For more information on area universities hosting “No Night without a Telescope” from October 18th through November 24th visit haverford.edu/iya2009/