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Morehead's Teen Science Cafe to focus on how astronomical questions are answered

This is part of a regular, now virtual, series, that's designed for teens who want to explore a variety of STEM topics.

Posted 2021-01-05T15:08:35+00:00 - Updated 2021-01-06T21:08:00+00:00

The moon is seen prior to the Penumbral Eclipse starting on September 28, 2015 in Somerset, England. Tonight's supermoon - so called because it is the closest full moon to the Earth this year - is particularly rare as it coincides with a lunar eclipse, a combination that has not happened since 1982 and won't happen again until 2033.

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

, Go Ask Mom editor

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center's Teen Science Cafe is this week, and it will focus on answering astronomical questions with Python code

This is part of a regular, now virtual, series, that's designed for teens who want to explore a variety of STEM topics.

This month's program is set for 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 8, and will feature Tony Rice, a NASA ambassador who also contributes regularly to WRAL. When writing about astronomy topics for WRAL, he often creates Python scripts to answer specific astronomy questions that range from how often common conjunctions like the "great conjunction" on Dec. 21 happen, how often is there a full moon on Halloween and more.

Rice, according to the event description, will walk participants through some of the code and then will live code, test and get an answer to an astronomy question. These are free, but all attendees must register. More information is on Morehead's website.

(As a reminder, Take the Kids: With renovations complete, Morehead Planetarium reopens this weekend with new exhibits if you're up for an in-person visit.)

The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences also has regular Teen Science Cafes, and the next one is slated for Jan. 15. The topic is climate change.