The University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy is holding its annual open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at its Manoa headquarters on Woodlawn Drive.

If you've ever wondered what type of telescope you should by for your child, or even how you can stop an egg from falling and breaking, or if you can see sunspots on the sun or if dark matter matters, then don't miss the open house.

There wil lbe short lectures about what's been happening in astronomy recently, including the detection last month of the biggest explosion ever seen. Learn how to measure the temperature of a star and how to classify galaxies according to their appearance.

There will also be demonstrations of how things behave in a vacuum and how astronomers can see in the dark.

Children will have the opportunity to play Astro-Jeopardy, simulate a Mars landing using a raw egg, and travel through space in our StarLab planetarium. There will be telescopes available to view the Sun, as well as demonstrations of what causes the seasons.

Admission and parking are free.

For more information, go to http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/open-house.