Open House at Rice Observatory

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](https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Frice.us17.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D3ee53fcb840532b6725e9eb49%26id%3D365eaa90f4%26e%3Dd18552333a&data=05%7C02%7C%7C39b2b0fa2f0940d91ea108dd36808c41%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638726647917492026%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=SHXXFia%2F978VXWd%2FHqNLbEa1n98JzsqnlOJQQJdcFdI%3D&reserved=0 "Protected by Outlook: https://rice.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ee53fcb840532b6725e9eb49&id=365eaa90f4&e=d18552333a. Click or tap to follow the link.")

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](https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ruf.rice.edu%2F~ruco%2Fopen_houses.html&data=05%7C02%7C%7C0ec2c36afeac4e69bb4808dcc1380251%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638597693531678972%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=uSkCPrNTd4gW35TXhe7zo2zWBJM4da1brYNKZ70%2FdVc%3D&reserved=0 "Protected by Outlook: https://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ruco/open_houses.html. Click or tap to follow the link.")

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