The ONU Astronomy Club will host a free event for the public at the ONU Observatory on Friday, Nov 4, from 8-10 p.m., according to Dr. Jason Pinkney, professor of Physics and Astronomy.
The theme is "The Blue Planets: Uranus and Neptune." The outermost two Jovian planets both have bluish hues attributed to methane in their atmospheres. Each planet has an interesting history and unique characteristics. Uranus is tilted about 98 degrees onto its side so it has the most extreme seasons.
Its moons (some of which can be spotted with our telescopes) are named after characters in the works of Shakespeare and Pope. The biggest Moon of Neptune, Triton, orbits retrograde to the planet's spin and is expected to one day merge with Neptune.
Neptune is also now the furthest planet from the Sun in our solar system, since Pluto was demoted. But probably not for long. Astronomers are closing in on a "Planet IX" lurking somewhere in the Kuiper Belt.
At the beginning of the event, the crescent Moon will be just high enough to observe with telescopes. Also available for viewing will be the planet Mars and deep sky objects.
As always, check the Public Events web page for possible cancellations due to bad weather by 2 pm on the day of the event:
https://www2.onu.edu/%7Ej-pinkney/astro/publicevents.html
