Dr. Thomas Herring's talk about the Moon, free NASA handouts and prime telescope viewing of the Moon captivated a capacity audience on International Observe the Moon Night (IOMN) on Oct. 21 at Jack C. Davis Observatory on Western Nevada College's Carson City campus.

IOMN coincided with the observatory's regular Star Party, attracting more community members to the facility. It was sponsored by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Headlining the night was JCDO Director Dr. Herring's presentation: "It's Lunacy — the Moon". Dr. Herring highlighted information about plans for near-term exploration of the Moon, including details on the Artemis program.

NASA provided free Summer Moon maps, Moon observation journals and a Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter coloring page to attendees.

Community members have an open invitation to attend weekly Star Parties on Saturday from sundown to 11 p.m. JCDO is located at 2269 Vanpatten Ave., just above the college’s campus.