Houston Science Enthusiasts

• Robots Restoring the Deep: Remotely Operated Vehicles

### Thursday, September 11, at 2 p.m. CDT

• The Secret Lives of Deep Sea Corals

### Friday, September 19, at 4 p.m. CDT

• Hidden Creatures of the Mud

### Tuesday, September 23, at 12 p.m. CDT

• Seasons of the Ocean

### Thursday, October 2, at 4 p.m. CDT

• Into the Twilight Zone of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

FREE EVENT: The Rice Space Institute will host a Rice University Observatory Open House. In the late evening will be a rare transit of Titan's shadow on Saturn.

"Twice every 29 years, Saturn’s rings appear nearly edge-on and essentially disappear when viewed from Earth because they are so thin. We are currently in one of those rare periods, which makes this a less-than-ideal time to see Saturn’s rings through a telescope.

"There is, however, a fascinating upside: during this alignment, Saturn’s moons line up with the Sun in such a way that they can cast shadows on the planet itself. Titan—the only one large enough to create an observable shadow—will do so late this week. The shadow is quite small and challenging to spot, but we’re going to give it a try! This will be the last such shadow transit visible from Houston for at least a decade. The event will begin around midnight this Friday night/Saturday morning and last a little over two hours.

"To set the stage, there will be a lecture at 8:15 p.m. in BRK 103, followed by (weather permitting) a general observing session of late summer/early fall skies. As midnight approaches, we will turn our attention to Saturn in hopes of catching this rare shadow transit. While it may require sharp eyes and some patience, the opportunity is unique and well worth the attempt."

Rice University Observatory Open House Friday Sept. 19
Lecture: 8:15pm-9:00pm BRK 103 (or 101 if overflow)
General Observing: 9pm - midnight
Transit Observing: midnight - 1am

For any late-minute changes, please check
https://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ruco/open_houses.html

Location: Brockman Hall for Physics (NOT FOR OPERA),
LECTURE: Dr. Hartigan will present a lecture in Brockman 103 (101 if a large crowd) at 8:15 pm NOTE NEW TIME.
Observing: on the 4th floor observatory deck starts 9 pm.
SPECIAL: very rare transit of Venus by Titan begins at MIDNIGHT. Elevator (and bathrooms) is in the east wing of the building.

Brockman Hall on Rice Interactive Map: https://map.concept3d.com/?id=473#!ct/71275,71276,71277?m/119182?s/Brockman

Parking: The closest parking is in the "North Lot", between entrances 20 and 21. Use a credit card for entry and exit. Less expensive parking in the Greenbriar lot, west of the stadium.

North Lot on Rice Interactive Map: https://map.concept3d.com/?id=473#!m/126305?s/key=North%20Parking%20Lot

Parking Facilities and Rates: https://parking.rice.edu/parking-facilities-and-rates

For weather updates see the campus observatory page:
https://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ruco/open_houses.html

To receive email notices of these and other space related events and lectures, visit: https://rice.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3ee53fcb840532b6725e9eb49&id=b6fab36db5

Top image: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

IN PERSON: Let's meet and talk about information based on James Gleick's book.

"From the bestselling author of the acclaimed Chaos and Genius comes a thoughtful and provocative exploration of the big ideas of the modern era: Information, communication, and information theory.

"Acclaimed science writer James Gleick presents an eye-opening vision of how our relationship to information has transformed the very nature of human consciousness. A fascinating intellectual journey through the history of communication and information, from the language of Africa’s talking drums to the invention of written alphabets; from the electronic transmission of code to the origins of information theory, into the new information age and the current deluge of news, tweets, images, and blogs. Along the way, Gleick profiles key innovators, including Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Samuel Morse, and Claude Shannon, and reveals how our understanding of information is transforming not only how we look at the world, but how we live."

Everyone is welcome whether you have explored the topic before or not.

You can:

• read sample
• view past selections
• view pool of candidates
• add your ideas to the pool of candidates
• join the chat group on Signal

At this meeting each person can nominate a book to be voted on whether it is from the pool of candidates or not.

We'll be meeting at Cafe Express. There is ample parking in the nearby lot.

Come prepared to discuss the ideas in the book and have a good time.

Looking forward to seeing you there!