ISU calendar is out of this world

There’s a new calendar out that’s filled with heavenly bodies, but it doesn’t have a thing to do with swimsuits. The Iowa State University Astronomy Department put out its first calendar last year featuring photos from its Fick Observatory in Boone. Sales of that calendar were good and astrophysics professor Steve Kawaler says they decided to do another with photos they couldn’t get in last year. The pictures include a closeup of a comment and also a fly-by of an asteroid that was close to the earth. He says the calendar was more popular than they expected as they did it first as an outreach effort, and it sold out and they decided to do another.Kawaler says Iowa’s rural areas are a big plus for those who like to view the stars without interference from city lights.He says space is one of the truly unknown frontiers remaining for study.He says it’s a very accessible science that allows anyone to see and study it. The calendar is available at the ISU Bookstore in Ames and the Science Center of Iowa for 10 bucks.