Kelseyville >> The New Horizons spacecraft sped toward Pluto for a dramatic rendezvous on Tuesday. This once-in-a-lifetime encounter took place as the spacecraft whizzed by the dwarf planet at a distance of a few thousand miles and at a speed of 31,000 mph.
The Friends of Taylor Observatory in Kelseyville will host a two-hour “Pluto-Palooza” from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate the Pluto flyby and to share the latest data from NASA.
There will be an open house during the first hour with a viewing of a scale model of the New Horizons spacecraft and displays provided by NASA describing the mission. These will include details of the instruments being carried by the spacecraft, what they will help to discover about Pluto, as well as milestones achieved by the fastest spacecraft ever launched.
The second hour begins with a short talk by Ed Gianelli, who presented a comprehensive program at Taylor last month about the New Horizons mission, followed by the latest photos released by NASA from New Horizons as well as any breaking news.
The actual closest approach and flyby occurred on Tuesday, but all the energy and resources of the spacecraft are devoted to acquiring data during that period, and data transmission back to earth will take place in the days and weeks following the flyby.
Admission to the Pluto-Palooza is free and refreshments will be served. Refreshments will include pizza and cake and are sponsored by Pogo’s Pizza and Polestar Computers in Kelseyville. Observatory staff will be handing out stickers and pamphlets from NASA which commemorate the New Horizons mission.
Donations to the Taylor Observatory/Norton Planetarium are always gratefully accepted. The observatory is located at is 5725 Oak Hills Lane in Kelseyville. For information visit www.taylorobservatory.org or call 262-4121 or (415) 209-3084.
