Voyager Lecture Series, Presented by Ron Smith

Lecture @ 7:30pm, Optional social hour with like-minded friends, light snacks and beverage @ 6:30pm

Mercury: Planet of Fire and Ice

Mercury conjures up different images for different people. For some, it’s a classic car. Chemists and physicists think of it as an element. Scholars of ancient history know it’s one of the Roman gods. For astronomers, it’s a planet of subtle fascination.

Facts you probably don’t know about Mercury:
– The second closest planet to earth.
– Vast quantities of water ice.
– Requires just several months to reach, not several years.
– It is both the 2nd hottest and 2nd coldest Planet in our solar system.
– Despite being close to the sun, this scorched world has vast regions with mild, earth-like temperatures.

Please join Ron Smith on a fascinating journey to a planet of both fire and ice.

Ron Smith

Ron Smith’s teaching and lecturing career began at age 9 when his father took him to see a planetarium show at the Griffith Observatory. Ten years later Ron’s dream came true when he began giving planetarium shows at Griffith while pursuing an astronomy degree at the University of Southern California. After graduating from USC, Ron began his 34 year teaching career in the California Community College system. He first directed the Tessmann Planetarium at Santa Ana College, then two years later, became a professor of astronomy at Santa Monica College. In 1984 he left Southern California and taught for 18 years at Santa Rosa Junior College. There he produced planetarium programs for the college star theater, and taught astronomy, meteorology, and earth science.

Ron Smith considers himself to be a planetarium educator. His experience in junior college teaching, public lecturing at the Page Museum of Natural history, and planetarium show production gives him a broad based science background. In retirement, Ron continues to enjoy sharing his love of science with audiences at Sunriver, Dixie State University, and the Kayenta Center for the Performing Arts

Sponsors

The Voyager Lecture Series–Evenings to Inspire Curiosity & Wonder In our fifth season—2021–22—we’ve expanded our wildly popular series to include new guest speakers who will entertain us with thoughtful and exciting stories ranging from the mysteries of pre-recorded history to mysteries of the cosmos.

The Voyager Lecture Series is generously sponsored by Voyager Wealth Advisors, Inc., Cache Valley Bank and Sherry McGhee with State Farm Insurance.”