The event, organized by the 麻豆原创 physics department, Robinson Observatory and student organizations including the Astronomy Society, is being held as part of the worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration. The 麻豆原创 gathering, led by NASA鈥檚 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Education and Communications team, will be held the day after the annual International Observe the Moon Night because of a Knights football game on Saturday.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the free event that is geared toward getting people excited about the moon, said Adrienne Dove, assistant professor in the physics department, who researches planet formation, microgravity, dusty plasmas and collisions.

鈥淢y research is focused on understanding dust on the moon, and how the surface is shaped, and how dust gets everywhere,鈥� Dove said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been fascinated by the moon, which is both our nearest neighbor and the only other planetary surface that humans have visited. It鈥檚 actually a really dynamic place.鈥�

To make sure others can see the orb as closely as possible, organizers plan to use a camera and projector to beam images from a telescope onto a large screen. Several other telescopes will be at the venue as well as 麻豆原创 researchers who will speak about lunar science. The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space will have water rockets to launch and the Lunar Knights club will have the mining robot that participants can take for a test drive.

鈥淲e just want to see kids, families, students, faculty, staff and the general public come out and enjoy a beautiful evening and learn something they didn鈥檛 know about the moon,鈥� Dove said.

The activities will be 6-9 p.m. weather permitting.

For more about Knights Under the Stars events, visit here.

The students, studying a variety of fields from physics to accounting, designed the mission, made all necessary calculations and executed the launch from a public park in Safety Harbor.

The goal? To see if they could send the balloon into the stratosphere with a high-definition camera , which would capture images of the curvature of the planet. The balloon then had to pop, deploy a parachute and deliver the camera safely back to Earth to be recovered.

Mission accomplished. The balloon climbed well beyond the start of the stratosphere and ruptured at more than 85,000 feet as planned. The students recovered the camera safe and sound in Southeast Osceola County. A 聽 showcases the amazing views the camera captured during its two-hour odyssey.

鈥淚t was a lot of fun,鈥� said Travis Gabriel, president of the Astronomy Society at 麻豆原创. He helped land some grant money from the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium to buy the necessary items for the mission. 鈥淲e hope to inspire others to become curious about space and atmospheric sciences, just as we have, through this project. If the public does not become directly involved in scientific activity, we hope to at least expand their perspective on the physical world around them鈥攂eyond their daily activities.鈥�

Gabriel, who is pursuing a degree in physics with an emphasis in astronomy, found his love for space science by following NASA and European Space Agency space missions and attending events at an observatory in Broward County.

The club regularly hosts observation nights at 麻豆原创鈥檚 Robinson Observatory and takes telescopes out to local festivals and schools to help make space more real for the general public. The group meets every other week on campus to talk about the latest news in astronomy, play space trivia games, listen to lectures from guests and watch movies.

鈥淚 like our outreach work because it gives me an opportunity to inspire others to study the cosmos, and it also lets me make others aware that they don’t need to be physics majors to get involved with astronomy,鈥� said Jason Wojkiewicz, the society鈥檚 treasurer and a finance major at 麻豆原创.

For more information on the club and its activities go to .