Moon Webcasts Celebrate Apollo 11 Lunar Landing: Watch Live Tonight

NASA's Apollo 11 moon landing 45 years ago today (July 20) captivated the world and space fans have a chance to relive that lunar feat with two free webcasts tonight.

The online Slooh community observatory will offer live telescope views and expert commentary on the first manned moon landing to begin the night. Later, NASA will broadcast restored video of the Apollo 11 moonwalk by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin at the exact time the two astronauts ventured out onto the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, as crewmate Michael Collins orbited above in the command module.

The lunar celebration starts at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT/0030 GMT), when the online Slooh will stream telescope views of the moon on Slooh.com.

NASA's webcast of the Apollo 11 moonwalk will begin at 10:39 p.m. ET (0239 July 21 GMT). You can watch both Apollo 11 webcasts on Space.com, courtesy of Slooh and NASA TV.

The Moon, Live by Slooh

The Slooh webcast tonight will feature live views of the moon via a telescope in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Slooh host Geoff Fox will host the webcast and be joined by astronomer Bob Berman, as well as documentary filmmaker Duncan Copp and science journalist Andrew Chaikin, author of the book "A Man on the Moon" chronicling the Apollo program. Viewers can follow the webcast on Twitter and ask questions via the hashtag #SloohApollo11. [NASA's Apollo 11 Moon Landing in Pictures]

"A disconcerting minority of Americans think the moon landings were a hoax, even though this can be decisively rebutted in 30 seconds," Berman said in a statement. "And wild, still largely unknown secrets surround that first mission, including humorous mishaps that did not come to light until much later, that were personally revealed to me by Buzz Aldrin. Our panel and our viewers are going to have a lot of fun during this live program commemorating Apollo 11 while we watch the fat, waning crescent moon look amazing through telescopes located in Dubai."

NASA's Apollo 11 Moonwalk

NASA's moonwalk webcast tonight is timed to the exact moment, 45 years ago, when Armstrong opened the Eagle lunar lander's hatch to step out onto the lunar surface.

"The world watched 45 years as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set their lunar module Eagle down in the Sea of Tranquility, while crewmate Michael Collins orbited above in the command module Columbia," NASA officials wrote in a statement. "On Sunday starting at 10:39 p.m., when Armstrong opened the spacecraft hatch to begin the first spacewalk on the moon, NASA TV will replay the restored footage of Armstrong and Aldrin's historic steps on the lunar surface."

The moonwalk webcast tonight is one of several NASA events commemorating the Apollo 11 moon landing anniversary. On Monday (July 21), NASA will broadcast live from its Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the center's Operations and Checkout Building is renamed in honor of Neil Armstrong. That webcast, which will also be carried live on Space.com, will begin at 10:15 a.m. ET (1415 GMT).

For more NASA events celebrating the Apollo 11 anniversary, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/apollo45/.

Buzz Aldrin has also urged the public to share memories of the Apollo 11 moon landing via YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/apollo45.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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