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MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — While the annual Draconid meteor shower peaked Saturday (Oct. 8), the moon stole the night sky show for some amateur astronomers over the weekend.
The Draconids "shooting star" display was drowned out by sunlight in the Western Hemisphere and by a nearly full moon in the East. But rather than curse Earth's nearest neighbor for spoiling the Draconids' fireworks, people around the world celebrated it Saturday during the second annual International Observe the Moon Night.
Several hundred people flocked here to NASA's Ames Research Center, for example, taking the opportunity to view the moon's dusty, pockmarked surface through dozens of telescopes set up on a grassy lawn by amateur astronomers. [Photos: Harvest Moon of 2011]
The Ames event, one of hundreds planned worldwide, was a big hit with skywatchers young and old.
"I like looking at the moon," said 8-year-old Charlotte Versavel of nearby Palo Alto. "I like seeing the craters."
Celebrating the moon
International Observe the Moon Night is a fledgling annual event organized by scientists and educators from government agencies, non-profit organizations and businesses around the world. NASA centers are well represented among its participants. This year, Ames, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., all hosted events.
The goal is to generate interest and enthusiasm in the moon, and to teach the public about Earth's natural satellite, organizers said.
To this end, the Ames event let ordinary folks try their hand at remotely driving a rover in NASA's lunar simulant test bed.
Scientists also gave lectures about robotic lunar exploration, the recent discovery of what look to be vast stores of water on the moon and NASA's LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) mission, which is due to launch in 2013.
"It's a good night
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