The Hailey Public Library, Idaho Dark Sky Alliance and Boise State University will host Dr. John Moores in a free talk titled “Daydreaming in the Solar System: Five Planets and Five Senses.” The talk will be held on Saturday, April 5, from 5-6 p.m. at Town Center West. Dr. Moores is an associate professor in the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science at York University.
The talk will be followed by a free astronomical observing session, hosted by the Sawtooth Botanical Garden, located at 11 Gimlet Road in Ketchum, at 8 p.m.
“The inky-dark of our Wood River Valley skies allows us to delight in the beauty of the stars and imagine what lies beyond our planet,” said Lahela Maxwell, the HPL marketing coordinator. “We are excited to partner once again with IDSA, BSU and the Sawtooth Botanical Garden to host these talks and offer a chance for us all to see the planets in a whole new way.”
“This series of talks is generously funded through a NASA program and the BSU Physics Department, aiming to bring science education to classrooms, libraries, and communities within the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, in close collaboration with the IDSA,” commented Carol Cole of the Idaho Dark Sky Alliance.
In addition to his role at York University, Dr. Moores is a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, a recipient of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute’s McCurdy Award and served as the science advisor to the president of the Canadian Space Agency from 2022-2024. Dr. Moores holds a BASc in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in Planetary Science. An author of over 100 articles in planetary science, Dr. Moores has also been a member of five NASA and ESA-led space mission teams. His newest book, in collaboration with Dr. Jesse Rogerson, “Daydreaming in the Solar System,” takes readers on a journey through the solar system, invoking the senses with data from our past robotic endeavors in space.
Hailey Town Center West is located across from the library at 116 S. River Street in Hailey. The Sawtooth Botanical Garden is located at 11 Gimlet Road, in Ketchum. For more information, contact the library at (208) 788-2036 or visit www.haileypubliclibrary.org and www.idahodarksky.org
