On moonless evenings when the sky is darkest on Jan. 8-9 and 15-16; Feb. 5-6 and 12-13; and March 5-6 and 12-13, Lake Afton Public Observatory will present “Life Story of a Star.”

Much like us, stars are born, they live, they grow old and they die. Visitors can use the observatory’s 16-inch telescope to look at objects in the night sky that are representative of the various stages in a star’s life cycle.

Visitors can also look at Mars as it makes its closest approach to Earth since December 2007.

On Jan. 22-23 and 29-30; Feb. 19-20 and 26-27; and March 19-20 and 26-27, when the moon is out, LAPO’s program will be “Colonizing Space.”

Visitors can observe the moon, Mars and a far-off star that has planets of its own as they discuss what it would take for man to colonize them.

The observatory also has winter exhibits that deal with Mars, the moon and the benefits that have come out of various NASA programs through the years.

And there are various photography programs, including at 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, and Saturday, Feb. 6, during which visitors can photograph Mars. At 10 p.m. Saturday, March 13, visitors can photograph the Orion Nebula (M 42).

For more information on LAPO’s programs, call (316) 978-7827 (WSU-STAR) or go to http://webs.wichita.edu/lapo.

Lake Afton Public Observatory is operated by the Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education, part of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Science at Wichita State University.