Special Public Star Night – Friday, June 19, 2026
Little Thompson Observatory
Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00
Rethinking how life developed on Earth: Evidence from asteroids
A special presentation by
Suzanne Metlay, Ph.D.
Asteroids Bennu and Ryugu are providing new perspectives on how simple molecules required for life on Earth formed in space. Recent papers on data from NASA and JAXA missions to these similar places suggest that we should re-think our standard models. Let’s consider what we are learning about these bodies and our own origins.
Suzanne Metlay, Ph.D. is full-time faculty in Earth & Space Sciences Teacher Education at Western Governors University, a fully online non-profit university founded in 1997 by 19 governors of western states, including Colorado. Previously, Suzanne taught astronomy and geology at Front Range Community College in Longmont and Fort Collins, was Operations Director for Secure World Foundation in Superior, and served as Education Programs Manager at CU-Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium. Currently, Suzanne is a past President of the Teacher Education Division of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and serves on the Advocacy Committee.
Suzanne has a BA in History and Science from Harvard University and a PhD in Geology and Planetary Science from the University of Pittsburgh. She was awarded the Antarctica Service Medal from the Department of the Navy and National Science Foundation for fieldwork conducted as a participant in the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) in 1991.
Following the talk by Suzanne, the observatory will be open for public viewing through our telescopes, weather permitting.
Celebrating over 25 Years of serving the public.
