Famed Astronomer to Speak as Part of Outdoor Planetarium Dedication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 8, 2006
Kathleen McPartland
530-898-4260
Greg Liggett, Northern California Natural History Museum
530-898-4121
Famed Astronomer to Speak as Part of Outdoor Planetarium Dedication
Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory (KCCO) and the Northern California Natural History Museum (NCNHM) at California State University, Chico present an evening with Carolyn S. Shoemaker, PhD, on Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. at the Chico Area Recreation District Building, 545 Vallombrosa Ave, Chico. The event is free and open to the public.
The evening with astronomer Shoemaker is connected to several other events, including the dedication of the world's first outdoor planetarium and a winter astronomy education series.
Shoemaker was raised in Chico and is a graduate of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, CSU, Chico, where she was named a distinguished alumna in 1996. Shoemaker has discovered 32 comets, more than any other astronomer in history, and many hundreds of asteroids.
In the evening program, Shoemaker will talk about her life and groundbreaking work as an astronomer. One of her most famous discoveries was the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 that collided with Jupiter in 1994. The collision received international attention and helped verify the theory that impacts by comets and asteroids have altered the environment here on Earth.
Shoemaker will also be a participant in a dedication of the world's first outdoor planetarium at the KCCO in Upper Bidwell Park in Chico. The planetarium is a combination of state-of-the-art technologies and a specially designed amphitheater that provides reclined viewing of the open sky. The planetarium will be dedicated to Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker as The Shoemaker Open Sky Planetarium.
The winter astronomy education series, also co-sponsored by the NCNHM and the KCCO, will feature 13 weeks of programs beginning in January 2007. The series will feature the Emmy Award-winning PBS series "Astronomy: Observations and Theories," hosted by its writer and producer Kris Koenig, director of the KCCO. Tickets for the full winter series will be available at the program with Shoemaker for a discounted price.
For more information about these events, contact Kris Koenig at (530) 343-5635 or (530) 321-7827, or check the NCNHM Web site at www.ncnhm.org.
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