Astronomer and popular lecturer Andrew Fraknoi will explore the most intriguing future tourist destinations among the planets and moons in our cosmic neighborhood in a program on Thursday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sunnyvale Library program room. A limited number of tickets are available free on a first-come, first-served basis at the Adult Reference Desk.

The illustrated tour will include the 4,000 mile lava channel on Venus, the towering Mount Olympus volcano on Mars (three times the height of Mount Everest), the awesome Verona Cliffs on the moon Miranda (which are the tallest 'lover's leap' in the solar system), and the mysterious ice-cracks of the moon Europa, under which may be a global ocean. No background in science will be required for this non-technical talk.

The Sunnyvale Public Library is located at 665 West Olive Ave., across from City Hall. Free parking is always available, and VTA line 54 serves the Library. For more information about Library services and activities, visit www.sunnyvalelibrary.org or call the Reference Desk at (408) 730-7300.

Andrew Fraknoi is the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and the former Executive Director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. He was selected as the 2007 California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Endowment. He is a frequent guest on KGO radio and on the Forum program on KQED. His children's book, Disney's Wonderful World of Space, is coming out in paperback in July 2009. Asteroid 4859 has been named Asteroid Fraknoi to recognize his contributions to the public understanding of science (but he wants to reassure everyone that it is a very boring asteroid, and not one that could hit the Earth.)

This talk is part of the celebrations of the International Year of Astronomy and the International Year of Science.