Vernal Equinox Celebration

Vernal Equinox Celebration

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Observations from 10 AM to 4:00 PM

The Latest From The Webb Telescope 2 PM to 3 PM

Placitas Community Library will celebrate the Vernal Equinox with astronomers Tony Hull and Steve Snider. Beginning around 10am you are, once again, invited to place stones marking the path of the sun’s shadow. Twice a year, on the Equinoxes, the pattern created by the Gnomon’s shadow is special indeed and quite different from other days of the year. The placing of stones to create this pattern will continue every 15 minutes throughout the day.

In cooperation with The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS), there will be opportunities to safely view our sun’s activity in the form of solar flares and sun spots.

At 2pm, Tony Hull will again speak about the James WEBB Space Telescope, this time with a focus on what we are seeing in the glorious images from the scope and what astronomy is learning about the universe.

Tony Hull left NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to lead a key effort on Webb, going to East Bay to be Director of the team of 60 experts that would polish all the mirrors over a five year period. When starting this role, having sold his house in Southern California, Tony bought his present house in Placitas.  He says this was his refuge and hope at times during ongoing, grueling 80-hour work weeks.  Tony will also give us a glimpse of the next great telescope envisioned for 2050, a topic of his present lectures in the US and Europe.

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