February 1: Saving Hubble

On Friday, February 1st, we kicked off our spring Public Lecture & Stargazing series with not a lecture, but a film. Saving Hubble is a documentary that chronicles NASA's decision to cancel the Hubble Space Telescope in 2004 and the subsequent public outcry. Filmmaker David Gaynes interviewed people far and wide on their thoughts about the pioneering space telescope that became a household name, from scientists and engineers who worked on Hubble to amateur astronomers, cabdrivers, and kids who are self-proclaimed "Hubble Huggers." After the screening, Summer Ash led Q&A with David and Ph.D. candidate, Christine Simpson.

If you missed the film, you can see a clip of it here and find out about upcoming screenings here.

The event attracted a sizable audiences of over 200 people who got to see some great sights from the rooftop telescopes after the film, thanks to the clouds that decided to clear out. Graduate students Jeff Andrews, Lauren Corlies, Ximena Fernandez, and David Hendel had telescopes trained on Jupiter and the Orion Nebula, both wonderful offerings of the winter sky. We also had the 3D wall up and running.

Join us on Feb. 15th for our next event: My Life as a Higgs Boson.

 --Summer Ash (Director of Outreach)