Getting out Where There is NO Virus: A Tourist's Tour of the Solar System and Galaxy
Thursdays from 1:00pm to 2:40pm – June 4, 11, 18, and 25
What are the not to be missed "tourist sights" on the planets and moons with which we share the Sun? What are some of the most exciting places we could (someday) visit among the stars, glowing clouds, black holes, and star clusters and in our Milky Way Galaxy. Join us on an illustrated tour of the cosmos as astronomers understand it today. The discussion will be accompanied with really great color images from the latest space probes and the world's largest telescopes. We'll learn about some of the most interesting vistas in deep space (including the steam geysers on one of Saturn's moons, and the debris from an exploding star that hides a natural beacon) and we'll discover how we humans fit into the bigger picture. Designed like the Rick Steves travel shows on public TV, these tours are for the beginner and will assume no background in science.
Fraknoi, Andrew
Andrew Fraknoi retired as the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College in 2017, having taught introductory astronomy and physics at three different colleges and universities (including SF State). He was selected the California Prof. of the Year in 2007 by the Carnegie Endowment for Higher Education and has won several national prizes for his teaching. He is the lead author of a free, open‐source, electronic textbook in astronomy, and has written books for teachers, children, and science fiction fans. He appears regularly on local and national radio, explaining astronomical developments in everyday language. The International Astronomical Union has named Asteroid 4859 Asteroid Fraknoi in recognition of his contributions to the public understanding of science.