Maryland Day 2022
The UMD Astronomy Observatory Remains Closed
Fall 2024 Update: The UMD Astronomy Observatory remains closed to all public outreach activities.
30 April 2022
We are so excited to be back in person for the 24th annual Maryland Day! The Astronomy Department will once again set up with other CMNS departments in front of the Glenn L Martin building.
Official Maryland Day website
Here are the events that we have scheduled:
- Ask an Astronomer -- Astronomy faculty and students will be on hand to answer your perplexing astronomy-related questions!
- Fingerprinting the Universe -- We learn that each person has a unique fingerprint. Each chemical element that is in our bodies and the universe also has a unique fingerprint that is encoded in light. Learn how astronomers study the skies using different wavelengths of light and how they decode the light to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
- Solar Observing -- Take a safe look at the big yellow (or red, depending on the filter) ball in our sky through telescopes with observatory staff.
- Putting Distant Worlds in the Right Spot -- Two hands-on demonstrations explain how astronomers observe exoplanets. Astronomers use coronagraphs (special cameras that block the light from the host star) to take pictures of planets, while spectrographs reveal what all these worlds are made of by looking at the light through a narrow slit. Both require the target be in the right spot!