Who needs humans on Mars when we already have bug-eyed rovers trundling along the Martian surface?  Amazingly, one of these rovers has been on duty for 10 years and is still going strong.  (What astronaut would want to hang out on Mars for that long?)  The Mars Exploration Rovers and the Mars Science Laboratory "Curiosity" have sent back thousands of pictures and other information about Mars.  Let's take a look at what they have seen and what they have learned about Mars present and past.

The University of Kentucky Department of Physics and Astronomy is pleased to welcome the public to our astronomical observatory. Part of our program of public outreach is a presentation on an interesting topic in astronomy followed by a visit to the observatory. The Kentucky SkyTalk is held on the second Thursday of every month.  A 45 minute program on astronomy will begin at 8:00 PM in Room 139 of the Chemistry-Physics Building. After the presentation, you are invited to view the sky through our 20-inch telescope, weather permitting.

Free parking is available on the top floor of parking structure #2, next to the observatory. With the exception of paid parking, without a valid parking permit, leaving your vehicle somewhere other than next to the observatory will result in a parking citation.

All are welcome and there is no charge. Tell your neighbors. Bring your kids.

A flyer in pdf format and a link to a campus map are available here:  https://pa.as.uky.edu/observatory

Thursday of the month, they are always free and open to the public.

The Gospel of Matthew records a peculiar astronomical event that occurred at the birth of Christ. Could the “Christmas Star” have been a nova, a supernova, a comet, or some other spectacular sight? I will talk about what was visible around the time of the birth of Christ, and describe Kepler's idea that that the Star was a planet alignment that guided the “wise men from the East.”