Astronomy

A. Cosmosphere	B. Albuquerque Zoo	C. VLA Telescope	D. Meteor Crater
E. Wildlife World Zoo	F. Biosphere 2	G. Saguaro NP	H. Sonoran Desert Museum
I. El Paso Zoo	J. White Sands	K. Carlsbad Caverns	L. McDonald Observatory
M. Big Bend NP	N. San Antonio Zoo

	ASTRONOMY
Barringer Meteor Crater Photo by David Roddy, USGS
Kansas Cosmosphere Home Page Very Large Array Telescope National Radio Astronomy Observatory Maps & Directions [HTML] Meteor Crater Barringer Crater Company - Science and history of the crater site. Meteor Crater Enterprises Map [JPEG] McDonald Observatory Home Page University of Texas site StarDate - An NPR series about astronomy topics by the observatory Weather and Sky International Dark-Sky Association Includes images of parts of earth at night to see where light pollution exists. The mission of the Photobiology Working Group is to "review and post references from the scientific literature relating to the effects of exposure to light at night on the biology of plants and animals, with particular emphasis on how humans are affected." Light Pollution Map of the U.S. - Unknown source	Space and astronomy interact with the experience of life in a variety of ways. Here on Earth we can experience how objects from space directly affect life. Places like Meteor Crater show us that rocks from outer space impact the earth and can cause drastic changes. Observatories like the McDonald Observatory in Texas have shown us evidence for the age of the universe and for the idea that Earth is not the center of things. The Very Large Array Telescope in New Mexico studies radio waves coming from space and could help determine if there is life elsewhere in the universe, Finally, the Kansas Cosmosphere showcases the experience of space by humans. Astronomy has strengthened the evidence that the age of the earth is much older than thousands of years by using techniques for dating the age of the universe as a whole. By observing things such as "red shift" to determine the rate at which the universe is expanding, astronomers have dated the universe at 13 billion years old or so. This leaves plenty of time for earth to have formed 4.6 billion years ago. By observing moons such as Io and Europa orbiting Jupiter, astronomers can observe what earth likely looked like at its formation. Planets, such as Mars, have revealed that life may exist in some form elsewhere in the universe. The fundamental activity of astronomy is to look at the sky at night. In many places across the world, the night sky looks very different than it did just a century ago. Light pollution around cities has rendered much of the detail of the sky invisible. You may be able to see the stars that make up the Big Dipper in a metropolitan area, but it is likely that many city dwellers have no idea what the milky way looks like. We will contrast the night sky at Meteor Crater and Big Bend National Park with the sky in Southern California and the megalopolis from Washington to Boston. Meteor Crater was formed by an object from space, so the foci of this stop will be astronomy and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
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