NASA Ames To Host International Observe the Moon Night

Cathy Weselby

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

Doris Daou

NASA Lunar Science Institute, Moffett Field, Calif.

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. will host a free evening event from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. PDT on Saturday, Sept. 18 to celebrate the 2010 International Observe the Moon Night. This event is sponsored by the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI). Nearly 400 similar International Observe the Moon Night events will be held in more than 40 countries around the world on Sept. 18.

Weather permitting, participants will be able to view the moon through telescopes set up by members of local amateur astronomy societies. No food or beverages will be available at this event. In the event of inclement weather, the telescope viewing will be cancelled and the lectures will be in the Ames Exploration Center with limited seating available on a first come first serve basis.

Lunar scientists will deliver presentations from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. PDT. Speakers include David Morrison, former NLSI director, Baruch (Barry) Blumberg, a Nobel laureate and former director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, and Greg Delory, Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission deputy project scientist.

WHAT: International Observe the Moon Night

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010, 7 to 11 p.m. PDT (weather permitting)

WHO: NASA scientists speaking from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. PDT

WHERE: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Follow the event signs for parking once inside Moffett Field.

News media planning to attend should contact Cathy Weselby at 650-604-2791 or cathy.weselby@nasa.gov before 5 p.m. PDT, Friday, Sept. 17, 2010.

For more information about International Observe the Moon Night, visit http://observethemoonnight.org/.