Prehistoric Time Keeping – New Mexico Museum of Space History Launch Pad Lecture on Early Farmers and Skywatchers

About this event

New Mexico Museum of Space History Launch Pad Lecture Location: New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium Date: Friday, September 4, 2026 Guest Speaker: Dave Greenwald, Jornada Research Institute President Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Alamogordo, NM – Tracking the sun helped early farmers know when to plant and harvest to keep their families fed. Jornada Research Institute president Dave Greenwald explores how ancient New Mexicans tracked the seasons at New Mexico Museum of Space History’s next Launch Pad Lecture on Friday, September 4, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Greenwald’s lecture “Astronomical Significance of the Creekside Village Great Kiva: Prehistoric Time Keeping,” examines how the ancient Jornada Mogollon people used the sun’s movements across the eastern horizon to track the seasons. These observations may have helped residents plan planting and harvesting, anticipate seasonal changes, and prepare for community rituals between 500 and 900 AD. The NM Museum of Space History’s Launch Pad Lecture Series is held on the first Friday of each month in the New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium in the Clyde W. Tombaugh Education Center. Museum staff, and sometimes special guest speakers, discuss topics ranging from space history to space future. Free to the public. Coffee and donuts provided. For more information, email msh.info@dca.nm.gov or visit our website at www.nmspacemuseum.org

Description from nmspacemuseum.org