5th Annual Planet Walk & Patapsco Ride & Fair Hill Ride
Friends
of Anne Arundel County Trails, Inc.
P.O.
Box
464
Severna
Park,
MD
21146
Fifth
Annual Planet Walk Scheduled for April 13
On Saturday April 13, 2013, The Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails,
the Anne Arundel Community College Astronomy Club and the Astrophysics Science
and Planetary Science Divisions of the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center have
teamed up to offer a day of free
public programs focusing on our solar system. The events will include a Planet
Walk on the B&A Trail, a multimedia presentation at
Anne
Arundel Community
College and an evening Star Gazing Party at the AACC
Observatory.
The day’s events will kick off at 10:30 am with a Planet Walk along a 4.7
mile segment of the B&A Trail between Glen Burnie and
Severna Park . This segment of the Trail features two
sculptures and ten information stations representing the Sun and the planets of
the Solar System, with each planet’s station spaced at its proportional distance
from the Sun. Sculptural stainless steel markers have been placed to mark the
relative location of each planet site along the route. Between 10:30 am and 3:00
pm, planetary scientists and astronomers from NASA/Goddard, area colleges and
universities and local astronomy clubs will be at each of the planet stations to
provide additional information about that planet and answer questions.
Participants can walk or bicycle the 4.7 mile course between the Sun
Sculpture, located just south of
Aquahart Road behind
Harundale
Plaza in Glen Burnie and the Pluto sculpture, located
just north of the Earleigh Heights Road Ranger Station in
Severna Park . The event is free and free parking is located adjacent to both
ends of the Planet Walk. It is recommended that participants start at the Sun
Station. For participants seeking a shorter or less time-consuming experience,
the six planets between the Sun and Saturn can be visited in the first 1 1/4
miles between Harundale and Marley Station Mall. The event will be cancelled in
the event of heavy rain.
Special evening events are also scheduled at
Anne Arundel
Community College ’s
Arnold campus. At 7:30 pm
a free public multimedia presentation
will be presented in Room 110 of the College’s
Dragun
Science
Building . Dr. Carey Lisse of the Johns
Hopkins University Applied Physics laboratory will be speaking on “The Prospects
for Life and Habitability Around Nearby Stars”. Following Dr. Lisse’s
presentation, there will be a question and answer session as well as drawings
for the daytime Planet Walk raffle. The multimedia program will be presented
regardless of weather conditions.
After the presentation, beginning at 8:30 pm, the AACC Astronomy Club
will host a free public Star Gazing
Party at the College Observatory. The Observatory is located outside Parking Lot
“B” on the
Arnold campus. Participants will have the
opportunity to utilize the Observatory’s telescopes with the assistance of
Astronomy Club members and may also bring their own telescopes. The Star Gazing
Party will be cancelled if overcast conditions or inclement weather prevent
making observations.
The events of April 13 will give participants a chance to gain greater
insight into the makeup of our solar system as well as to gain knowledge of some
of the ongoing research which continues to bring us new and exciting
revelations. Additional information about the day’s events is also available on
Facebook and at www.friendsofaatrails.org.
Jack Keene
Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails
**********************************************
2013
Patapsco
Intro Ride
Series
Have you ever wanted to explore the vast trail system
at
Patapsco
Valley State
Park at a mellow pace with
folks who
know the park inside and out? Here’s your opportunity to
get
to down and dirty with the some of the finest trails on
the
East Coast. These casual, no-drop rides will start with
coffee
and good vibes and wrap up with cold beverages and
demo
bikes at
Rockburn
Skills
Park ! MORE Gold Sponsor
Aviation
Velo is supplying the swag and MORE’s 2012 Ride Leader
of
the Year will lay out sweet rides for all ages and
abilities.
Ride
Dates:
March 30, April 27 , May
25, June 29
All rides start at 10 am at
Rockburn
Branch
Park in the parking
area
by the main Pavilion. RSVP
@
ride-rockburn-branch
or
http://aviationvelo.com
507 S. Camp Meade
Rd
Linthicum
Heights,
MD
**********************************************
The Trail Spinners Poker Run at Fair Hill NRMA will
take place on 6/16. Gates open at 8 am. This is a charity event
benefiting the Brian Fults Fund, a well known local racer who has competed
regionally, who is going through treatment for cancer. There will be a Pre
Ride the Fair Hill Classic Race Course, Food, Fun, and Beverages.
For more info, please contact Chris Jackson
at chrisjackson479@verizon.net
Via email