Join the Museum of Nature and Science on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 from 5:30pm-6:30pm for the “Active Galaxy Lecture Series.” Dr. Reta Beebe will present, “How and What we are Learning About Saturn and Jupiter”, which will cover recent discoveries from the Saturn Cassini and Jupiter Juno NASA space missions. This will include results from the final phase when Cassini was placed in an elongated polar orbit where, at closest approach, the craft zoomed between the upper atmosphere and the rings several times before plunging into the planet. As the craft sank deeper, increased pressure and temperature eventually caused the craft to vaporize and mix with the surrounding environment. This orbit allowed the collection of new information about Saturn’s rings, the planet itself, and details about the magnetic field near the planet.
Dr. Beebe is a professor of astronomy at NMSU whose research has involved interpretation of data from the NASA Planetary Exploration program. She has worked on data from Voyager, Galileo and Cassini missions and has used the Hubble Space Telescope for a Jupiter/Saturn observing program. She currently manages the Atmospheres Discipline Node, part of NASA’s Planetary Data System, housed at NMSU.
Admission to the Museum of Nature and Science is free. The museum is located at 411 North Main Street and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4:30pm and Saturday from 9am to 4:30pm. For additional information, visit the website at: http://las-cruces.org/museums or call (575) 522-3120.
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