The Once and Future Moon - Dr. Shane L. Larson, Clarkson University

The Moon: our nearest neighbor in folklore, science & spaceflight. Explore its history and the future of lunar exploration with us. The Once and Future Moon Shane L. Larson Clarkson University As our closest celestial neighbor, the Moon has always occupied a special place in the mind of humanity, playing special roles in our time-keeping, in our folklore, in our scientific understanding of the Cosmos, and in our quest to step beyond the shores of Earth. It is close enough to the Earth that we can easily see its influence on our planet every day through tides and the illumination of the night. It is close enough to the Earth that its study is not solely the domain of professional astronomers — ordinary citizens can and do moon-gaze from their own backyards every night using their eyes, binoculars, and small telescopes. Despite this close proximity, there are still many questions we have about the Moon, ranging from its origin, to its composition and makeup, to when will you and I be able to go there as easily as we can go to Iowa. In this talk we discuss some of the observational history of the Moon, some of our current thinking about the Moon and its importance to Earth, the history of spacecraft and human exploration of the Moon, and what our aspirations for the future of lunar exploration are. BIO Shane Larson is a professor of Physics at Clarkson University and the co-Director of PEAK, Clarkson's Experiential Learning Hub. He works in the field of gravitational wave astrophysics, specializing in studies of compact stars, binaries, and the galaxy with both the ground-based LIGO project, and the forthcoming space-based observatory LISA. He is an award winning teacher, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is an avid amateur astronomer, observing with two homebuilt Dobsonians, a 12.5" named EQUINOX and a 22" named COSMOS MARINER. He contributes regularly to a public science blog at writescience.wordpress.com, and posts at Bluesky with the handle @sciencejedi . While we welcome everyone at our star talks, this one is best reserved for ages 13 and up! Photo & Video Release Carlton Observatory may take photos and video during this event for use in our marketing materials, social media, website, and promotional content. You may opt out by filling out this form. If you are bringing a group, please reach out to [email protected]