Please Note: This program has an updated time (originally 6:45-8:45 p.m. ET).
The moon, our closest solar system neighbor, is a familiar object in our night sky. Its seemingly serene appearance, however, is the product of a long history of violent bombardment. Planetary scientist Rebecca Ghent, co-investigator on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, discusses the Moon’s history of impact cratering and examines the significance of the impact record for understanding the evolution of the Moon and other solar system bodies.
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The Grand Tour of the Solar System series treks to the Sun and the four inner terrestrial planets before traveling outward to the asteroid belt, four Jovian planets, and beyond. At each session, a professional astronomer explores a solar system body, presenting the latest research.
Following the talk and a question-and-answer period, Peter Plavchan, a professor of physics and astronomy at George Mason University, brings that night’s sky right into participants’ living rooms via remote control of the university observatory, weather permitting.
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