UW Space Place home page

Space Place is located at 2300 S. Park Street in the Villager Mall, which is just north of the Beltline Highway. Space Place is the education and public outreach center of the UW-Madison Astronomy Department. Click links below to learn more about:

Saturday Science Workshops	Guest Presentations	Star Gazing
Eyes on the Skies	Featured Astronomical Events	Special Events
Email Reminders: Click here to sign up for email reminders of upcoming events.


	Friday, May 23 • 8:30-10:00 pm Space Place Star Party Join us on our rooftop deck to view the night sky through telescopes (weather permitting). Offered on the second and fourth Friday of every month. Washburn Observatory Temporarily closed for renovation. Click on the Washburn Observatory link for information on interim public viewing nights at Sterling Hall. Universe in the Park
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	Space Place family workshops are offered every Saturday at 10 a.m. for children ages 6-10 and their parents. The workshops are free and open to the public. No registration is required for any of the workshops. May 17 • "Solar System Walk" Join us at Rennebohm Park on Madison's near west side and walk through a scale model of the planets. Scroll down to "Special Events" for more information on the model. Please note: We will NOT have a workshop at Space Place that morning. May 24 • "Phoenix Mars Mission" Find out more about the spacecraft which will land on the Red Planet on May 25 and build your own Mars lander.
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	Space Place guest presentations are always free and open to the public, and are offered the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Tuesday, May 13 • 7:00-8:00 pm "Mechanics on the Nano-Scale" by Robert Blick, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prof. Blick will describe his research in nanomechanics, which aims to develop microscopic machines for many purposes, including mechanical equivalents of computer chips, which will calculate using moving wheels and levers instead of integrated circuits. Click here for a list of past guest speakers.
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	Tuesday, May 27 • 7:00-8:00 pm Eyes on the Skies is held the fourth Tuesday of the month and is a program on astronomical events and news. Find out what you can see in the sky for upcoming month and pick up a monthly sky chart. Click here to download a PDF copy of this month's Eyes on the Skies flier
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	The May edition of JPL's What's Up podcast describes three easy-to-see galaxies near the easy-to-find Big Dipper. These three galaxies, M81, M82 and M51 have also been imaged by the Spitzer Space Telescope. In the podcast, you can see what the Spitzer saw, and see the galaxies through a low power telescope. What's Up What's Up is a monthly video feature that tells you where to look in the night sky for great views.
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	Solar System Walk Installation will be on display from May 3 until June 14• The U.W. Space Place is collaborating with local artist Nick Schweitzer and the Madison Fire Department to promote public understanding of the solar system, and incidentally, why Pluto was recently demoted from planethood. From the first weekend in May through the middle of June, a temporary art and science installation in Rennebohm Park in the 4800 block of Regent Street on Madison's West Side will illustrate the relative sizes and distances from the sun of all the planets and other objects in the solar system. Artwork by children in local schools will be included in the installation. On May 17 from 10:00-noon special activities will be set up in the park. This event is free and all ages are welcome. The Madison Fire Department is participating by placing Pluto on the property of Station 9, approximately 3/4 mile from the sun and 1/3 mile beyond Neptune. Fire station personnel will also welcome children and families who walk the whole exhibit in for a tour of the fire station. Solar System Walk Find out more about the installation.

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