Explore space and science this fall with amateur astronomer Frank Hitchens

Canadian amateur astronomer Frank Hitchens, who hails from Perth, Ont., is the star of two upcoming Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) events centred on the cosmos. Celebrate both Science Literacy Week and World Space Week at the Isabel Turner Branch this fall with two in-person events.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, during Science Literacy Week, Hitchens will host Eye in the Sky: The Hubble Space Telescope, a discussion about the telescope from its launch in 1990 to its retirement in 2011. According to the library, Hubble was one of the most productive tools for gathering information from beyond our planet. Canada has a storied history with Hubble, contributing to the Canadarm, which helped maintain and repair the telescope during its two decades of operation.

The event takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Isabel Turner Branch. Register online at https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/6994906.

Hitchens will return to the Isabel Turner Branch during World Space Week for Voyager: Quest for the Titans, on Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. KFPL said that attendees will learn about Voyager I, the space probe that is the most distant manufactured object from Earth, over 23 billion kilometres away. Voyager, launched in 1977, collected valuable information on Saturn, its moon Titan, and Jupiter and continues communicating with Earth.

Register online at https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/6994923.

“It will be great having Frank back at KFPL to discuss Hubble and Voyager,” said Jake Miller, Librarian, Adult Programming. “So much of what we learned during the past four decades is because of these magnificent instruments. These sessions will be a great entry point for those picking up astronomy. Spaces are already filling up!”