Instead of merely honoring the orb we call home in this the season of Earth Day festivities, the free Delmar Loop Planet Party celebrates the whole freakin' solar system. Marking Global Astronomy Month, the galactic good time begins at 7 p.m. with an astronomical talk at the University City Public Library (6701 Delmar Boulevard; 314-727-3150 or www.ucpl.lib.mo.us). After the earthling attendees better understand their place in the universe, they will adjourn outdoors for a public telescope viewing. Weather permitting, the St. Louis Astronomical Society will have various scopes set up and trained on faraway wonders, and there will also be guided tours of the Delmar Loop Planet Walk (loopplanetwalk.com), a scale model of our solar system. In this representation the Moonrise Hotel (6177 Delmar Boulevard) serves as the sun spot, and Cicero's on the west end of the Loop (at 6691 Delmar Boulevard) accommodates Neptune. At each planetary position along the sidewalk, signage explains details about that particular planet (or star, in the case of the sun), so you can study as you walk the 2,880 feet from start to finish. The Planet Walk is a permanent installation along Delmar, but the guided tours happen only during the party, so take advantage of the free learning experience — and try to keep the Uranus jokes to a minimum.
Fri., April 23, 2010
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