Frank Drake of the SETI Institute. Credit: David J. Eicher
If you’re in the area of Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 5 for the incredible transit of Venus that is coming up, I urge you to check out the following event. Marsie Hall Newbold, director of publicity for the Astronomy Foundation, has coordinated a viewing event and big party at the Drake Planetarium in Cincinnati. Many things will make this event special, but consider this: legendary astronomer Frank Drake, chairman emeritus of the SETI Institute and the man who devised the famous “Drake Equation” about life in the universe, will be there. And the Drake Planetarium is named for Frank! This is going to be an incredibly special occasion!
(I would definitely go if not for being some 4,400 miles away in Kona, Hawaii.)
I am presenting Marsie’s press release for the event, and encourage everyone who can go to enjoy it!
Drake Planetarium and Science Center
hosts internationally recognized astronomer
and namesake, Dr. Frank Drake
for transit of Venus – Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Norwood, OH –May 10, 2012 – World-renowned astronomer and physicist, Dr. Frank Drake will make a rare public appearance at the Drake Planetarium and Science Center on June 5 to help celebrate one of the rarest of all astronomical events, the transit of Venus across the Sun. Dr. Drake is one of the pioneers in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the founder of SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). The transit of Venus has occurred only 53 times over the past 4,000 years and will not occur again until 2119.
In addition to founding SETI, Dr. Drake led the first observational attempts at detecting extraterrestrial communications in 1961 in Project Ozma, and developed the Drake Equation and created the Arecibo Message, a digital encoding of an astronomical and biological description of Earth and its life-forms for transmission into the cosmos.
The Drake Planetarium and Science Center, located at 2020 Sherman Avenue, Norwood, OH 45212, is within the Norwood High School and Middle School. The Drake Planetarium and Science Center is operated by the nonprofit Tri-state Education and Technology Foundation, which has added the Science Center, expanded programming, and made a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education programs available to students and the general public. This event is an official "Star Party" sanctioned by the United States' foremost astronomical educational and outreach group, the Astronomy Foundation.
Dr. Drake will be involved in a variety of activities at the Center on June 5, culminating in an opportunity for the public to join in the optimal viewing of the transit of Venus at 6:04 p.m. Activities for the public will begin at 2:00 p.m., with hands-on science projects, tours of the Science Center’s Lego Lab and several opportunities to view “When Venus Transits the Sun,” a spectacular, full-dome program.
There will be talks by local astronomers, including Dr. Wes Ryle, professor of physics and director of the Bank of Kentucky Observatory at Thomas More College; Steven Tilford of the Cincinnati Astronomical Society (CAS); and Pam Bowers, director of the Drake Planetarium and Science Center and NASA Ambassador. CAS members will be on hand to help families view the transit (it takes 4–7 hours from start to finish) through telescopes fitted with special Sun filters. (It is unsafe to view the transit directly without special filtering equipment.) David Abbott, the 1999 JEOPARDY! Tournament of Champions winner, will also be on hand to test the astronomical knowledge of those attending.
The full day of activities will cost $10 per person or $35 for a family of four or more. In addition, there will be a special program at 4 p.m. in the Norwood High School auditorium featuring a lecture by Dr. Drake on the “Past, Present and Future of the Search for Signs of Intelligence Among the Stars.” A $25 per person registration will be required for this special presentation, with all proceeds going to the Drake Planetarium and Science Center. Reservations can be made by calling (513) 396-5578.
Dr. Drake’s 82nd birthday will also be celebrated at a special reception following his lecture at 5 p.m. for those who register for his presentation.
About Drake Planetarium and Science Center
The Drake Planetarium and Science Center has been providing a variety of science, technology, and math (STEM) education programs to children throughout greater Cincinnati since 1982. Its mission is to provide a wide range of supplemental, active learning programs that help develop the thinking skills necessary to function in today's society through age-appropriate, hands-on, fun-oriented experiences. Drake Planetarium and Science Center is operated by Tri-state Education and Technology Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit educational organization. Programs are offered for preschool through high school age students, as well as teacher and adult workshops.
The Drake Planetarium offers weekday shows during the school year to area schools as well as home-school families. Evening and weekend shows for the public are geared to the entire family. During the summer, planetarium shows are coordinated with Summer Camp programs and as field trip option for other Summer Camp Programs. Drake Science Center houses Engineering and Lego Labs. Outreach programs also are offered to area schools, including classroom program, after school Lego workshop and the Traveling Galaxy, a portable planetarium that can travel to children and audiences throughout the greater Cincinnati area.
Press Contact:
Marsie Hall Newbold
Public Relations - Drake Planetarium and Science Center
(859) 441-7924
marsolete@insightbb.com