Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium

As summer break begins to wrap up for the local schools, if you're looking for last minute things to do, be sure to check our the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers calendar. They have two events this week, and they always bring some phenomenal telescopes to these things.

BBAA | Calendar Official Calendar | The Back Bay Amateur Astronomers is a non-profit organization dedicated to - Bringing Astronomy to the People of Hampton Roads.

Universe Uncovered at the Lê Planetarium

There is enough distance between the Earth and Moon that you could fit all the other planets of the solar system (and Pluto) between them. However, you must use the Earth-Moon distance when the Moon is furthest (aka - perigee). This gives you some extra room to squeeze the planets in.

Escape velocity is how fast an object would have to be going right now, so that it would keep going and never fall back. Escape velocity for Earth is a little over 25,000 mph. This is the speed you need to reach to leave the Earth forever. Anything slower, and you come back home.

A meteorite that crashed into a home in New Jersey in 2024 has been found to contain some very intriguing clues to the origins of organic compounds and how they were maybe brought to Earth by asteroids during the early years of our solar system formation.

Meteorite that crashed into New Jersey home contains "alien world chemistry," scientists say When scientists examined the preserved fragments of a meteorite that crashed in 2024, they found brine-like fluids and key molecules.

After the Artemis II mission back in April, catch up on the plans for Artemis III and why it's not going to Moon. There are still lots of exciting plans and challenges to work on in low-Earth orbit first.

Artemis III Explained Artemis III is NASA's next crewed mission, scheduled for 2027 — but...

Joining us for tonight's planetarium show? Be sure to park in the Bluestone Garage as our regular parking in the Elkhorn Garage is undergoing some construction. It's the same complex. Just use the entrance from 43rd St rather than the entrance from Elkhorn Ave. Don't worry that it says "Faculty/Staff". It's fine, and you can still pay to park in this portion of the garage.