TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama astronomy program is continuing its Public Nights series offering sky viewing through the telescope at Gallalee Hall on Friday, Dec. 9.

The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. with Dr. Andreas Piepke, a member of the UA neutrino-physics group, discussing “Neutrinos: Ghostly Messengers from the Heavens and the Earth.”

The telescope sky viewing session will follow at 8 p.m. The telescope will be pointed at the moon and Mars; Mars will be unusually close and the moon will be well-placed for seeing surface topography.

The public is invited to view the sky through the 16-inch, research-grade telescope in the dome on top of Gallalee Hall on campus. There is no charge for the event.

For more information, contact the UA department of physics and astronomy at 205/348-5050 and go to http://www.astr.ua.edu/Public.html.