Allan I Carswell Observatory Online Event: Perseverance Landing Party — Feb 18, 2021 from 2:30–4:00pm EST!

The Allan I Carswell Observatory presents a new LIVE online event to celebrate the Mars Perseverance Landing this Feb 18, 2021 from 2:30–4:00pm EST (Toronto local time)!

In 2020 several Mars-bound rockets blasted off from the surface of Earth. Now in 2021 they are all arriving! Join our ‘Landing Party’ on Feb 18 to watch the Perseverance landing, learn about Mars and hear a live discussion of the final ‘7 minutes of terror’. Together, we will see if the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter safely make it to the surface.

This February is full of exciting missions. The United Arab Emirates’ first Mars mission, an orbiter named Hope, will arrive on Feb 9. Then on Feb 10, we have the arrival of the Tianwen-1, China’s Red Planet orbiter and lander-rover pair. The orbiter will spend several months imaging the designated landing site to prepare for touchdown (expected May 2021). Finally, in a grand finale on Feb 18, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover makes its final descent to the Martian surface.

Our online landing party broadcast starts at 2:30pm EST and the landing itself will be at approximately 3:30pm EST (12:30pm PST). After all these months of traveling through space, the rover and its tiny helicopter companion are almost there!

If the weather allows, the Allan I Carswell Observatory will also show LIVE images from our new 1 metre telescope! How can YOU participate? See below for details:

Date: Thursday, Feb 18, 2021

Time: 2:30pm to 4pm Toronto local time

Where: https://www.youtube.com/user/YorkUObservatory/live

If you have ever wanted to join an extra-planetary landing party from the comfort of your own home make sure to catch this event… Tune in to the Allan I. Carswell Observatory’s YouTube page and enjoy the show!

For all details, see our website at: https://observatory.info.yorku.ca/