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Aspen Center for Physics Summer Solstice Party - Crowding Around For Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream (Photo credit: richpalpine) |
Last
Wednesday, the Aspen Center for Physics was the scene for some
entertaining amateur astronomy and summer fun as the Center celebrated
50 years of physics in Aspen by co-hosting an evening of stellar
storytelling, interesting related cosmic facts from Center physicists,
and of course ice cream. Telescopes were also set up on the site.
We
joined the eager crowd, comprised mostly of families with children, in
order to learn a little bit more about the lore of the cosmos. I felt like a kid myself – giddy with anticipation of the activities to come.
While
we waited for darkness to fall, our hosts brought out the some treats –
cookies and ice cream. The liquid nitrogen-cooled creation was smooth and
tasty, very cold, and very popular with this particular crowd. The kids
seemed to like it too!
As darkness began to fall, we settled in at one of the Spellbinders story stations to listen to some cosmic yarns. The storytellers wove tales about the Pleiades, the Big Dipper, and the origin of the Milky Way as seen in our night skies. Visiting astrophysicists then answered questions and doled out interesting facts about the cosmos.