International Day of Light 2022 Celebration

Sunday, May 15 at Flandrau Planetarium
Free planetarium programs for all ages! First come, first seated!

Optics and photonics are the science and engineering of light used everywhere, every day. Join us on May 15 to explore and discover the world of optics and Arizona’s world leaders in the science of light! Attention Teachers and Students: This event is a great learning opportunity! Students attending can receive a “Certificate of Attendance” to provide to their teachers wishing to award credit. Ask at the event table.

2:00 pm Mysteries of the Unseen World

Take an extraordinary journey into unseen worlds and hidden dimensions beyond our normal vision to uncover the mysteries of things too fast, too slow, too small or simply invisible. The film uses innovative high-speed and time-lapse photography, electron microscopy, and nanotechnology to transport audiences to an enthralling secret world of nature, events, and breathtaking phenomena not visible to the naked eye.

Olivia Fehlberg will introduce this film presented by National Geographic Entertainment and Day’s End Pictures and narrated by Forest Whitaker.

Program Host
Olivia Fehlberg
Design Engineer, Edmund Optics

3:30 pm Discovering Light

Do you know that an asteroid camera, the world’s largest telescope, and fusion energy all use principles of light? World leaders in applications of light in space exploration, astronomy, and energy will show how light makes exciting discoveries possible in space and on Earth!

Dr. Bashar Rizk, Dr. Laird Close and Dr. Bruce Bayly will explain how optics are used to explore asteroids, see the universe, and make clean energy possible on Earth. Dr. Lukas Gruber will be your host.

Download Event PDF Here

About the International Day of Light

The International Day of Light is a UNESCO global initiative to celebrate light and the role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, astronomy, and clean energy. May 16 marks the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman.

Sponsor Opportunities Available! Click Here to Download Info Sheet.

This is a FREE event to the public and no registration is required!

Questions? Contact us at [email protected].