Every year, astronomers and moon experts invite the public to come out and learn more about the moon.
Despite the fact it's been more than 40 years since the last Apollo mission to the Moon, scientists are still discovering new things about earth's closest neighbor from recent high-resolution images captured in the last five years.
"We have a better sense of the topography of the moon, which has helped lead to a better understanding of the moon in general. That's great, because it gives us a really good understanding of the geologic history of the earth and the solar system in general," says Andrew Shaner, the Education Specialist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
The LPI is hosting a moon-gazing event Saturday night. Telescopes from the Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society will be set up outside.
"On the inside, we'll have activities geared more toward middle-school kids that get at lunar exploration – and what are the kinds of things you're going to have to know and understand if, one day, you want to be somebody standing on the moon," Shaner added.
The local International Observe the Moon night is Saturday, September 19th, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Lunar and Planetary Institute located inside the USRA building at 3600 Bay Area Blvd. in Clear Lake. The entrance to the USRA building is located on Middlebrook Drive.
