FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 22, 2007

Kathleen McPartland
530-898-4260
Kris Koenig,
Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory
530-343-5635

Cosmic Hike Speaker To Talk on Solar Activity
and Global Warming

The Northern California Natural History Museum's (NCNHM) Museum Without Walls winter lecture series, "A Cosmic Hike: The History and Nature of the Universe," will host its first guest lecturer this Thursday at 7 pm, at the Chico Area Recreation District Center, 545 Vallombrosa Ave., in Chico.

Mark Giampapa, PhD, deputy director for the National Solar Observatory, will be presenting his research on solar output variation and its implications in the study of global warming. His lecture will be part of the ongoing 13-week lecture series featuring the Emmy award-winning PBS program "Astronomy: Observations & Theories," and hosted by the program's producer and writer, Kris Koenig, director of the Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory.

Giampapa and his colleagues at the NSO recently completed a survey of more than 100 sun-like stars to gain insight on the energy output during the solar cycle. This research is critical to understanding of the impact of solar variations on long-term global climate fluctuation. Giampapa is an adjunct astronomer at the University of Arizona. He also serves as a member of the editorial board for "New Astronomy Reviews."

The NCNHM series is being presented in conjunction with the Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory. Admission is $3 per adult for each program; students with an ID are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

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