UIS to hold a virtual star party on June 27

The University of Illinois Springfield Astronomy-Physics Program will broadcast a virtual star party live on Zoom (rain or shine) from 8:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27.

The star party was originally scheduled to be held in-person at Lincoln Memorial Garden, but will instead take place in an online format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

John Martin, UIS associate professor of astronomy/physics, will give tips for finding bright planets, the Summer Triangle, the Big Dipper and other bright stars and constellations in the 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 the Sangamon Astronomical Society are planning an in-person Perseid Meteor Shower viewing party from 8:30-10:30 p.m. Aug. 11 at Lincoln Memorial Garden.

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

For more information on summer star parties, contact John Martin at 217-206-8342 or jmart5@uis.edu.