This Friday, August 31^st, marks the final Clifford Hall star party of the season.  The UND Observatory and UND Astronomy Club will be hosting a star party at the Clifford Hall Auditorium beginning at 9 p.m. The party begins with a talk presented by two Space Studies graduate students, Katrina Jackson and Annie Wargetz, entitled "Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and the Curiosity Rover".  The two students will be discussing the MSL mission with a focus on what the Curiosity rover has accomplished since surviving the "Seven Minutes of Terror" descent and landing successfully on the surface.  The Curiosity rover is the most robust rover sent to the Martian surface and promises to inspire and excite people of all ages with its research and findings.  After the discussion, party goers are invited to venture outside about 10 pm and look through telescopes in the parking lot, providing that the weather is clear.   The objects of focus will be a nearly-full Moon and various planets and objects.  

T-shirts will be on sale with proceeds benefiting the Observatory.  Proceeds will be used to purchase additional equipment for the Observatory.  

The next star party will be held at the UND Observatory, near Emerado, on September 14^th beginning at 9 p.m.