Space Place guest presentations are always free and open to the
public, and are offered the 2nd Tuesday of the month. This program will be offered only in person. Masks are required.
Guest Presentation
November 9 • 7:00-8:00 pm
"Can the Milky Way Cast a Shadow" by John Rummel.
When amateur astronomers (or others who value pristine dark skies) want to underscore just HOW dark their favored location is, they often invoke the "it was so dark you could see your shadow by the light of the Milky Way" line.
But could it be true? Is it possible? After all, the Milky Way is large, diffuse, low contrast, and very faint. The sun and moon cast shadows. Bright point sources cast shadows. It's even said that Venus and Jupiter can cast shadows. Can the huge Milky Way, spread across 90 degrees of sky (or more), cast a shadow? In this talk, I'll move beyond hearsay, legend, and myth and attempt to nail down some facts and experimental results - and share some photographic evidence. Don't miss this one. It may change the way you think about dark skies!
John Rummel is a long-time member and former president of the MAS. He has put an astronomical number of miles on his car in pursuit of the darkest places in the contiguous United States.
Watch last month's presentation on our YouTube channel |
