As part of the 2017 NC Science Festival, Discovery Place Nature is inviting families to meet local astronomers during special Saturdays this month. Join us on Saturday, April 8 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to meet our first astronomer, Abby Peltier.

Abby is a PhD candidate at UNC Charlotte studying Optical Science and Engineering. She will be speaking about misconceptions in astronomy and all the things you thought you knew about space.

Abby received her BA in Physics from Bucknell University in 2011. While she was there, she spent many nights at the observatory helping undergraduates and members of the community learn about the night sky. She has seen the constellations of the southern hemisphere from a mountain-top observatory in Chile and has remotely controlled a 3-meter infrared telescope atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

In August 2011, Abby joined the Discovery Place Science team as the Physics Program Specialist, writing classes, teaching workshops and leading after school programs. She enjoyed sharing her love of physics and astronomy with visitors of all ages. In August of 2013 Abby left Discovery Place to pursue her graduate studies in Optical Science & Engineering at UNC Charlotte. She received her Master of Science in this field in May of 2015, and is currently hard at work on research for her PhD.

Meet an Astronomer is included in Museum admission. The next Meet an Astronomer will be on Saturday, April 15 and Saturday, April 22.