On June 18th, 2016, the University of Toronto's Astronomy & Astrophysics Department will be hosting a free lecture to the public by Dr. Fran Bagenal entitled, "Why planetary science needs space probes: New Horizons at Pluto & Juno at Jupiter". When New Horizons flew by Pluto no one expected to discover rocky mountains, nitrogen glaciers, or ice volcanoes; such grand discoveries were only possible by sending a space probe to the furthest reaches of our Solar System. This talk will highlight the major discoveries from New Horizons' flyby of Pluto, describe what we hope to learn when Juno enters orbit around Jupiter, and explain why space probes are essential to the expansion of scientific knowledge.

In addition to the lecture, there will be solar observing, planetarium shows, astronomy exhibits, refreshments, stargazing, and much, much more!

The entire event is free. Planetarium shows require signup ahead of time (see website). The lecture is from 8-9pm in the Medical Sciences Building on UofT Campus (MS 2158, 1 King’s College Circle), and all other activities happen between 6:30-8pm and 9-10:30pm on the field of King's College Circle.