Explorers of all ages attend LPI's Sky Fest: Jupiter, the King

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) hosted “Sky Fest: Jupiter, the King” on Saturday night, April 8, 2017 for nearly 150 visitors. Those in attendance were engaged in hands-on activities and presentations related to Jupiter. Visitors observed how different types of ice and features in ice can be seen with different types of light. This activity demonstrated how spacecraft are equipped with instruments capable of viewing multiple wavelengths of light to study solar system objects, such as icy moons of the outer planets. Visitors also used various tools to infer the types of objects hidden inside sealed, plastic spheres. LPI staff provided shows inside its portable planetarium. Dr. Georgiana Kramer gave a presentation comparing Jupiter to exoplanets and how exoplanets are discovered. Outside on LPI’s lawn, members of the JSC astronomy society set-up their telescopes to share the night sky with visitors. Harris County Public Library-Freeman Branch Library staff were on-hand to check-out Jupiter-related books to attendees and to demo resources available to the public in the library’s Innovation Lab.

LPI’s Sky Fest events are thematic public events designed to encourage and facilitate science learning. Event topics center on celestial objects and events or NASA mission milestones. Sky Fest events are held four to five times a year and are open to all ages free of charge.

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Sky Fest