From: Karen Kalumuck (karenk@exploratorium.edu)
Date: Mon Mar 14 2005 - 12:23:31 PST
Message-Id: <p05010401be5ba31fc481@[192.168.112.86]> Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 12:23:31 -0800 From: Karen Kalumuck <karenk@exploratorium.edu> Subject: Explo Event!
Fellow science educators,
The Exploratorium is incredibly excited to present a live webcast from the
ancient observatories of Chichen Itza, Mexico, featuring a rare
astronomy-based phenomena engineered by the ancient Mayans. We invite you
to join us for the webcast, accessible in both Spanish and English, along
with a full day of performances and activities celebrating the cultural and
scientific contributions of the Mayans.
Please join us on Sunday, March 20 at the Exploratorium for an unforgettable
day of astronomy and family fun!
* * * * T H E E X P L O R A T O R I U M P R E S E N T S * * * * * *
Ancient Observatories: Chichen Itza
Webcasts and Activities
Sunday, March 20 (Spring Equinox)
1-4 p.m.
Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio and Skylight Area, Exploratorium
3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
On Spring Equinox, the lengths of daylight and darkness are exactly the
same, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the Northern
Hemisphere. Like many ancient cultures, the Mayans in southern Mexico
included solar alignments in their architecture to mark special days. On
March 20, thousands of people will gather at Chichen Itza, in Mexico's
Yucatan, to witness such an alignment: A shadow in the form of a serpent
will appear to descend the main staircase of the site's great pyramid, El
Castillo. We will provide a live feed from the site and talk to local
scientists about the significance of this amazing event.
In conjunction with the Webcast, we will also present an afternoon of
activities exploring astronomy and the culture and science of ancient and
contemporary Mayans. All activities will be presented in Spanish and English
and are free with museum admission.
Webcasts:
2-3 p.m. Live Webcast in English
2:45-3:45 p.m. Live Webcast in Spanish
Performance:
1-1:30 p.m. Záazil-Ha', Traditional Yucatecan Dance Performance
Hands-On Activities 1-4 p.m.
* Create your own sundial with the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers
* Construct a pinhole viewer for safe astronomical observation
* Explore Mayan math and the Dresden Codex
* Use clay to explore Mayan hieroglyphs
* Compare the sizes of the Sun and the Earth
* Questions about the skies? Ask Roving Astronomers from the NASA Sun-Earth
Connection Education Forum and the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers
More information can be found out:
www.exploratorium.edu/ancientobs/chichen
For advance tickets, please visit: www.ticketweb.com
-- Karen E. Kalumuck, Ph.D. Biologist/Educator Exploratorium Teacher Institute 3601 Lyon St. San Francisco, CA 94123 415-561-0388 FAX 415-561-0307
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