FRENCH CAMP - Rainwater Observatory in French Camp Mississippi will be offering a new series of four programs called Back Yard Astronomy. The first program will be Saturday, October 5, 2009. Each program starts at 7:00 p.m. with a presentation by a knowledgeable presenter followed by planetarium shows or observing sessions.

The first program of the series will be called Jupiter: The Giant of the Solar System by Edwin Faughn assistant director at Rainwater Observatory. Faughn was the former art director of the Pink Palace Sharpe Planetarium in Memphis Tennessee. His space artwork has been published in and on the covers of major science magazines and exhibitions such as Scientific American and the world premiere of Titanic: The Exhibition. Some of his works will be on display before the program. Edwin will lead us in a discovery of the history and influence of this giant planet and how it has affected the Earth. We will also discover that over 360 Jupiter like planets have been discovered orbiting other stars in our galaxy. Jupiter is well placed this season and appears as a bright star in the eastern sky.

After the presentation, weather permitting, an observing session will be held using Rainwater’s collection of telescopes including the largest in Mississippi. The planetarium can be used if the outdoor observing is clouded out. Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium is located one mile east of the Natchez Trace Parkway off MS Highway 413 near the village of French Camp in Mississippi.

These programs are free, open to the public and are underwritten by a grant from the Mississippi NASA S pace Grant Consortium. For more information call 662-547-6377. To register online go to the Rainwater Observatory web site at http://rainwaterobservatory.org

Other future programs in the series will be

October 10: Constellation Tour

October 17: The Mystery of Galaxies

October 24: The Moon: New Findings About Our Nearest Neighbor