Countdown to new Space Place launch this weekend

Astronomy buffs of all ages are invited to celebrate the launch of Space Place, UW–Madison’s astronomy outreach center, at its new Villager Mall location on Sunday, Aug. 28. Opening week activities continue through Thursday, Sept. 1 and are free and open to the public.

Before relocating to the Villager Mall site at 2300 South Park Street, Space Place had grown cramped in its home, the refurbished restaurant it had occupied since opening in 1990. “Space Place started because of demand and that demand has grown steadily,” says Jim Lattis, director of Space Place.

Now, with nearly double the floor space, a full 9,100 square feet, Space Place can accommodate three different groups simultaneously in distinct exhibit hall, lecture hall and workshop areas. Star and sunspot gazing can be easily accommodated on the new rooftop observation area. Among the regular features of the exhibit hall, including the OAO-2 satellite and suborbital rocket payload instrument, are new permanent exhibits about galaxies, the solar system, the colors of the universe, as well as an amateur radio center and gift shop.

The UW–Madison College of Letters and Science and the astronomy department took the lead in planning and implementing the approximately $300,000 project, which was funded by the Office of the Chancellor.

Although primarily accessible through pre-arranged school group trips, Space Place has recently increased the number of monthly public events it hosts. Family-oriented programs are featured on the second, third and fourth Saturdays of each month at 10 a.m. Guest speakers will give presentations on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. “Eyes on the Skies,” a program about current celestial events above Madison, will be offered on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

For those who want first crack at viewing the new facility, Space Place will host an open house on Sunday, Aug. 28, from 1-4 p.m. featuring science displays, activities and other entertainment. Brief welcome remarks will be made at 2 p.m. in the lecture hall. The celebration continues through the week.

• On Monday at 7 p.m., Space Place will host the popular, family-friendly “Wonders of Physics” demonstration.
• On Tuesday at 7 p.m., Space Place will premier the film, “Astronomy on the Edge of Space,” a video documentary about the work of UW–Madison’s suborbital rocket scientists. “It’s about a kind of astronomy done at the Space Astronomy Lab, where we use instruments on top of small, suborbital rockets,” explains Lattis. Four years in the making, the documentary was completed in spring 2005.
• On Wednesday from 9-11 p.m., an evening of star-gazing will take place at UW–Madison’s Washburn Observatory, located on campus at 1401 Observatory Drive. Visitors can gaze through the historic 15 1/2 – inch telescope while experiencing a unique art installation at Washburn designed by Martha Glowacki.
• On Thursday at 7 p.m., festivities wrap up with a chemistry presentation by Bassam Shakhashiri called “Science is Fun!” The show is produced by the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy.