by Lisa Adams
Daily Lobo
Mars was the attraction at LodeStar Astronomy Center on Saturday night.
Michael Sepulveda, observatory director, said he was excited about the proximity of the Red Planet because Mars is 69 million kilometers from Earth and is the closest it will be until the year 2018.
The night began with a brief history in the planetarium about Mars and mankind's exploration of it.
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UNM student Duane Robinson said he enjoyed the planetarium show and viewing Mars through the observatory's telescope. They talked about Mars' impact on people, he said.
The event's coordinator, Judy Stanley, explained the close encounter.
"We're celebrating the opposition of Mars - that's Mars' closest approach to the Earth - and Mars will continue to be visible in the sky through the end of November," Stanley said.
Lodestar's guests were also treated to a viewing of Venus and the Andromeda Galaxy. While stargazers looked through the telescope in the observatory, some guests set up personal telescopes on the balcony.
Astronomy enthusiast Edward Schneider spoke to a group about how to find the center of the Milky Way Galaxy with the naked eye.
"The center of our galaxy is between Scorpio and the constellation Teapot, which pours into the center of the galaxy," he said.
Stanley said the stars are much easier to see in the winter.
"Starting in January we do something called Starry Nights. We open from 6-9 p.m. every Saturday night to enjoy the night sky. We have a planetarium show and then we look at what's in the sky," she said.
