Winter Star Party at Kopernik on Saturday

People have wondered about life and intelligence beyond the Earth for millennia. We have been searching for evidence of life, civilization and technology throughout the universe, from our nearest neighbors to the distant stars. In the last decade, we have made giant strides in this search.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, Shami Chatterjee from the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University will give a presentation on this exciting topic at the Kopernik Observatory & Science Center in Vestal. He will review past and present searches for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), the quest for planets beyond our solar system, and the prospects for finding life and intelligence beyond the Earth with new telescopes and surveys. He will show us that we are closer to answering some of our questions today than ever before.

Chatterjee is an accomplished astronomer, and Kopernik is thrilled to have him as the keynote speaker for this year's Winter Star Party.

A star party is a gathering of amateur astronomers for the purpose of observing the sky, and everyone is invited. Doors will open at 6 p.m. There will be early viewing through the telescopes (weather permitting) and family-friendly science activities, including Lego WeDo Robotics, Electric Snap Kits and Spandex Universe — our black hole simulator! A lights-and-lasers program will start at 6:30 p.m., with fascinating displays of lasers and other light sources and demonstrations of white light making all the colors of the rainbow.

At 7 p.m., Kopernik staff will give a presentation on Winter Skies 2015, discussing winter constellations, their stars and other deep-sky objects, as well as Comet Lovejoy, which still should be visible at Kopernik's dark-sky location. You also will learn how to locate the International Space Station as it flies over the Southern Tier.

Chatterjee's presentation will begin at 8 p.m., and Kopernik's telescopes will remain open afterward for continued viewing of Comet Lovejoy, Jupiter, the Orion Nebula and other celestial objects. There also will be laser-guided tours of the winter constellations.

If you plan to look through the telescopes, dress warmly because the observatory, the building where the telescopes are located, is not heated. It can't be heated because the difference in temperature between the heated base of the telescope and the cold outer tip of the telescope would cause condensation inside the telescopes — clouding the view and damaging these delicate, expensive instruments. However, Kopernik's main building, where the presentations and science activities are held, is heated, and coffee, tea and hot chocolate are available for purchase when you come back in from observing.

Come up to Kopernik's Winter Star Party on Saturday for an opportunity to learn more about our universe — to look up and dream big!. See Kopernik's website or call (607) 748-3685 for more information.

Deskur in the executive director of the Kopernik Observatory & Science Center.