CINCINNATI, Oh. – The Cincinnati Observatory will be hosting its annual Meet a Meteorite event on Saturday, November 16th. Collectors from around the region will be sharing their remarkable displays of rocks from space with meteorites, moon rocks, and specimens believed to originate from the Martian surface. Guests can also start on their own collection with meteorite purchases from the Observatory’s gift shop!
“There is something special about being able to hold a piece of the cosmos in your own hands,” says Dr. Wes Ryle, astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory. “These objects have journeyed over vast distances for an immense amount of time, all to end up here for us to study and enjoy.”
The evening will also include activities related to meteorite impacts and craters. Guests will be able to collect data and participate in a hands-on scaling experiment that demonstrates how the energy of an impactor is related to the size of the crater it creates. For kids, there will be cratering activities and crafts as well.
A presentation on impacts will be given by Dr. Wes, highlighting the collision that wiped out the dinosaurs and many other species roughly 66 million years ago, along with smaller-scale impacts that have occurred more recently.
The event occurs on the evening of Saturday, November 16th. Due to limited indoor space, tickets are being sold for two time slots, 7:00-8:30PM and 8:30-10:00PM. Pre-registration for the event is encouraged, available at www.cincinnnatiobservatory.org. Admission is $12 for adults, $7 for children, and free for observatory members.
