This weekend kicks off Lowell Observatory’s annual celebration of Pluto’s 1930 discovery by Clyde Tombaugh with its annual I Heart Pluto celebration.
The celebration actually began last night, with a Beer Unveiling and Astronomy on Tap where this year’s Pluto-themed beer was unveiled.
Tonight, there will be a Pluto Pub Crawl throughout Flagstaff, Arizona, where participants can enjoy custom-made Pluto-themed drinks and interact with astronomers and science educators.
The keynote of this year’s celebration will take place tomorrow night, February 14, with the Night of Discovery, whose theme is “Mother Road to the Stars,” honoring both Pluto and the centennial of Route 66.
It will be followed by several talks on Sunday, February 15, including “Fantastic Worlds and How to Find Them” with Dr. Alex Polanski, “Tour of the Solar System from the Sun to Pluto and Beyond” with Dean Regas, “Defending Earth: The Science of Planetary Defense” with Dr. Nick Moskovitz, “How Low Temperatures Enable Pluto’s Exotic Geology” with Dr. Will Grundy, and “Iron Rain to Supersonic Winds: Our View of Exo-Jupiters” with Dr. James Sikora.
Pluto’s Birthday Bash will take place on Monday, February 16, featuring a birthday cake, vendors, and crafts. There will also be activities at Lowell including a talk about Pluto, a special Pluto tour, a beer garden, and a celebration of the New Horizons mission at the Astrolab.
I don’t know whether any of the talks will be streamed online or recorded and put online later, but if they are, I will post the links to them.
For more details, visit Lowell Observatory’s I Heart Pluto page.
