On Saturday, March 3, the NIU Observatory will host “Mars Night at NIU” to celebrate the opposition (closest approach) of Mars.  To mark this event, the Observatory staff will give a brief talk discussing current knowledge of Mars and current Mars exploration.  The talk will begin at 7pm.  Immediately afterwards, the NIU Observatory will be open (until 11pm) for observations of Mars and other objects.  This event is free and open to everyone of all ages.  For more information, e-mail [email protected], call (815) 753-1305 or go to www.niu.edu/physics/observatory.