DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Forty years ago, Apollo 11 landed on the moon as the world watched in anticipation.

The astronomy program at the University of North Texas will celebrate the July 20 anniversary with “Moonth Month” events. 

4th of July moon party

A moon party is scheduled for the evening of July 4 (Saturday) at the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center, 2350 Tom Cole Road in Denton. Visitors can look through several of the observatory’s telescopes to get close-ups of meteor craters, lunar mountains and even the site of man’s first step on the moon’s surface.

Astronomers also will provide short presentations on the moon: how it formed, why it appears to change shape and why it’s important for astronauts to return to the moon. The first presentation begins at 9 p.m., and they will be every hour until midnight.   

Dawn of the Space Age

The UNT Sky Theater will show “Dawn of the Space Age,” a unique view of the early developmental years leading to the Apollo 11 landing, at 7:30 p.m. July 20 (Monday).

Ron DiIulio, UNT’s planetarium director and a Solar System Ambassador for NASA, will discuss a proposed NASA return mission to the moon. Also, Robert B. Finkelman, a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas and one of the first scientists to study the lunar rocks from the Apollo 11 mission, will conduct a presentation titled, “A Microscopic View of the Moon.”

The Sky Theater is located on the first floor of the Environmental Education, Science and Technology building, on the northwest corner of Avenue C and West Mulberry.

For more information, contact DiIulio at 940-369-7655 or starman@unt.edu.