27th Annual AstroFest at Penn State University Park

The 27th Annual AstroFest, hosted by the Penn State Eberly College of Science will offer visitors of all ages a variety of fun and educational activities. The public is encouraged to come enjoy the night sky at Davey Lab, located across from the HUB-Robeson Center on the Penn State University Park campus. Events are free and will occur rain or shine, both in classrooms and in the planetarium on the fifth floor of Davey Lab.

Learn more about this event at the AstroFest website: https://science.psu.edu/astro/public-outreach/astrofest

 

2026 AstroFest Schedule

 

Wednesday, July 8

Room 538

8:30–9:00 p.m. “The Story of Stars Through Cosmic Time” S. Jean Feeser
9:00–9:30 p.m. “Planets, Planets, Everywhere!” Eric Feigelson
9:30–10:00 p.m. “Up, Up, Up To Low Orbit: How and Why NASA Is Swiftly Boosting Swift” Michael Siegel
10:00–10:30 p.m. “Star-eating black holes: The monsters lurking at the center of galaxies (about tidal disruption events and how they are found by surveys like Rubin)” Charlotte Ward
10:30–11:00 p.m. “Outrageous Theories of Astronomy.” Tristan Weaver
11:00–11:30 p.m. “Hoth in Star Wars and Snowball Earth” Darren William

Room 541

9:00–9:30 p.m. “Star-eating black holes: The monsters lurking at the center of galaxies (about tidal disruption events and how they are found by surveys like Rubin)”
9:30–10:00 p.m. “The Long-Awaited 2029 Apophis Encounter with Earth” Darren Williams
10:00–10:30 p.m. “Time Travel: As Good as it Gets?” Derek Fox
10:30–11:00 p.m. “Up, Up, Up To Low Orbit: How and Why NASA Is Swiftly Boosting Swift” Michael Siegel
11:00–11:30 p.m. “Time Travel: As Good as it Gets?” Derek Fox

Thursday, July 9

Room 538

8:30–9:00 p.m. “Where Anthropology meets Astronomy” Annette Mercedes
9:00–9:30 p.m. “Peering Deep with the James Webb Space Telescope” Kevin Luhman
9:30–10:00 p.m. “Hoth in Star Wars and Snowball Earth” Darren William
10:00–10:30 p.m. “Peering Deep with the James Webb Space Telescope” Kevin Luhman
10:30–11:00 p.m. “Star-eating black holes: The monsters lurking at the center of galaxies (about tidal disruption events and how they are found by surveys like Rubin)”
11:00–11:30 p.m. “A Traveler’s Guide to Black Holes” Mary Ogborn

Room 541

9:00–9:30 p.m. “A Traveler’s Guide to Black Holes” Mary Ogborn
9:30–10:00 p.m. “Star-eating black holes: The monsters lurking at the center of galaxies (about tidal disruption events and how they are found by surveys like Rubin)”
10:00–10:30 p.m. “Astronomy and Art” Nahks Tr’Ehnl
10:30–11:00 p.m. “The Long-Awaited 2029 Apophis Encounter with Earth” Darren Williams
11:00–11:30 p.m. “Astronomy and Art” Nahks Tr’Ehnl

Friday, July 10

Room 538

8:30–9:00 p.m. “Planets, Planets, Everywhere!” Eric Feigelson
9:00–9:30 p.m. “The Story of Stars Through Cosmic Time” S. Jean Feeser
9:30–10:00 p.m. “Peering Deep with the James Webb Space Telescope” Kevin Luhman
10:00–10:30 p.m. “Up, Up, Up To Low Orbit: How and Why NASA Is Swiftly Boosting Swift” Michael Siegel
10:30–11:00 p.m. “Peering Deep with the James Webb Space Telescope” Kevin Luhman
11:00–11:30 p.m. “Artemis” Nate Hamme

Room 541

9:00–9:30 p.m. “Up, Up, Up To Low Orbit: How and Why NASA Is Swiftly Boosting Swift” Michael Siegel
9:30–10:00 p.m. “Galactic Trainwrecks” Michael Eracleous
10:00–10:30 p.m. “Planets, Planets, Everywhere!” Eric Feigelson
10:30–11:00 p.m. “Galactic Trainwrecks” Michael Eracleous
11:00–11:30 p.m. “The Story of Stars Through Cosmic Time” S. Jean Feeser

Saturday, July 11

Room 538

8:30–9:00 p.m.”The Long-Awaited 2029 Apophis Encounter with Earth” Darren Williams
9:00–9:30 p.m. “Galactic Trainwrecks” Michael Eracleous
9:30–10:00 p.m. “Artemis” Nate Hamme
10:00–10:30 p.m. “Outrageous Theories of Astronomy” Tristan Weaver
10:30–11:00 p.m. “Where Anthropology meets Astronomy” Annette Mercedes
11:00–11:30 p.m. “A Traveler’s Guide to Black Holes” Mary Ogborn

Room 541

9:00–9:30 p.m. “A Traveler’s Guide to Black Holes” Mary Ogborn
9:30–10:00 p.m. “Astronomy and Art” Nahks Tr’Ehnl
10:00–10:30 p.m. “Galactic Trainwrecks” Michael Eracleous
10:30–11:00 p.m. “Artemis” Nate Hamme
11:00–11:30 p.m. “Outrageous Theories of Astronomy” Tristan Weaver