CSI/CUNY News Release
	For Immediate Release - Monday, August 11, 2003

The Martians are Coming!

Staten Island -- On August 27, 2003, the planet Mars will be 34,646,418 miles from Earth – the closest it has been in more than 73,000 years. Mars will be brighter than Jupiter and all the stars in the sky – a red planet 8 times brighter than normal.

Celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime planetary opposition with Mars: A Close Encounter, hosted by NYC’s most sophisticated public observatory.

WHO:
Irving Robbins, director, and Keith Rowan, astrophysical technician of the Astrophysical Observatory of the College of Staten Island.

WHAT:
* $10 Admission, $5 for kids ages 6-12
* enjoy a fact-filled multi-media presentation about Mars by expert astronomers
* meet members of the American Association of Amateur Astronomers (AAAA) and view celestial objects through their field telescopes
* explore exhibits from NASA on space technology, space food, and the Space Station
* enjoy a children’s activity zone featuring crafts, coloring, and other child-centric activities
* mingle with Athena Mars Rover Project members
* view Mars through the main telescope of CSI’s Astrophysical Observatory
* savor Martian delicacies, view Martian movies, and browse Martian souvenirs

WHEN:
Wednesday, August 27, 2003, 8:30 p.m.

Ongoing: exhibits, refreshments and programming in CFA
8:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. check-in and registration
9 p.m. – 9:45 p.m. presentation: About Mars
10 p.m.– 10:45 p.m. repeat of presentation
10 p.m. – Midnight observatory and field telescope viewings

WHERE:
College of Staten Island Center for the Arts
2800 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island NY 10314

Mars: A Close Encounter is presented by the CSI Foundation. For more information on attending the event, call the College of Staten Island Advancement Office at 718-982-2365. Event sponsors include Coca Cola, Con Edison, Northfield Savings Bank, PerfectHealth, and SI Bank & Trust.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You are invited to send a reporter and/or camera crew. If you plan to attend or send a representative, please contact Ken Bach at 718-982-2328 to make arrangements or for more information.
 

The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a senior college of The City University of New York (CUNY), the nation’s leading urban university. CSI offers 35 academic programs, 15 graduate degree programs, and challenging doctoral programs to 12,000 students.

CSI's 204-acre landscaped campus, one of the largest in NYC, is fully accessible and contains an advanced, networked infrastructure to support technology-based teaching, learning, and research. For more information, visit www.csi.cuny.edu

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