Participate in the International Year of Astronomy when Dr. Steven Hawley—astronomer, astrophysicist and astronaut—presents Galileo, Apollo, and Beyond on Tuesday, July 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Hawley’s talk marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of a telescope to view the heavens and the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon launch. The former transformed mankind’s understanding of Earth’s place in the Universe; the latter led to the first landing of human beings on the moon. Hawley will share his own experiences in outer space, specifically in connection with NASA missions in support of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, as well as his insights into the future of manned and unmanned space exploration.

Currently a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas, which was his undergraduate alma mater, Hawley is one of three Kansas-born astronauts. During his 30-year career with NASA (1978-2008), Hawley served as a mission specialist for three flights on the shuttle Discovery and two flights on the shuttle Columbia, logging a total of 770 hours and 27 minutes in space.

The presentation complements a new traveling exhibit in the Central Library called Visions of the Universe that focuses on astronomy through the ages.