For the 15th year in a row this weekend, the seven astronomy clubs in the Detroit, Michigan, metro area are sponsoring Astronomy at the Beach, an observing event held at Maple Beach at the Kensington Metropark near Brighton, Michigan, northwest of the city. It will feature nighttime observing, solar observing, astronomy-themed movies, activities for kids, talks by scientists and amateur astronomers, planetarium presentations, and laser tours of the sky that will delight hundreds of people who come by and want to know the universe a little better.
I will be honored to be giving the keynote talk at the event, once each on Friday, September 9, and again on Saturday, September 10. My address is titled “What’s new in our universe” and will describe the recent advances in astronomical and cosmological knowledge in the past 15 or so years.
I was graciously invited to be a part of Astronomy at the Beach by John Schroer of the Detroit Science Center. He is an energetic astronomy enthusiast who will help oversee the event. The hosts are the Kensington Metropark, a fine park facility, and the Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs, which includes the Ford Amateur Astronomy Club, the Warren Astronomical Society, the University Lowbrow Astronomers, the Oakland Astronomy Club, the Seven Ponds Astronomy Club, the Sunset Astronomical Society, and the Astronomy Club at Eastern Michigan University.
For more on the event, see http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dgs/kensington/.