UIS to hold a virtual star party on May 30

The University of Illinois Springfield’s Astronomy-Physics Program will broadcast a virtual star party live on Zoom (rain or shine) from 8-9 p.m. Saturday, May 30.

John Martin, UIS associate professor of astronomy/physics, will give tips for finding Venus, the Big Dipper and other bright stars and constellations in the late spring and early summer evening sky and answer astronomy questions submitted live.

The link for the Zoom event will be posted at go.uis.edu/summerstarparties and @UISObservatory on Twitter. Participants are encouraged to follow the Twitter account for updates. The event will be capped at 300 connections.

The UIS Astronomy-Physics Program and Sangamon Astronomical Society are also planning three other in-person star parties this summer from 8:30-10:30 p.m. June 27, July 25 and Aug. 11 (a special Perseid Meteor Shower viewing party) at Lincoln Memorial Garden, located on the shores of Lake Springfield.

Please monitor the summer star parties website at go.uis.edu/summerstarparties or @UISObservatory on Twitter, for possible changes to the in-person events due to COVID-19 or weather conditions.

For more information on summer star parties, contact John Martin at jmart5@uis.edu.