Whether you have an avid interest in astronomy, or have never looked through a telescope, there are lots of fun astronomy-related events to check out, including Saturday Morning Science, Party With the Stars, Cosmic Conversations, Laws Observatory, and public shows at the Columbia Public Schools Planetarium. Sometimes Columbia Parks and Recreation Department offers programs, which can be found in the City’s Leisure Times publication, print version or at http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/ParksandRec/Activities_and_Programs/Leisure_Times/. Details below, and you can find events in the FCMo calendar on the right.

Saturday Morning Science (SMS)
SMS is held at the University of Missouri (Columbia) (MU), in Monsanto Auditorium in Bond Life Sciences Center, and consists of public-level talks covering a wide variety of science topics. Two former astronauts, who are also MU faculty, have spoken about what it is like to be in space, and how to land a space shuttle. There are no space-related talks scheduled for the rest of this semester, but check them out for their other topics, and the spring semester schedule will be up in January 2014. SMS is generally scheduled on Saturdays during MU’s fall and spring semesters. Find the schedule at http://satscience.missouri.edu/schedule.php, or check the FCMo calendar. Bonus: They offer bagels and donuts before every talk! Bonus #2: The talks are recorded, and past talks are posted on their iTunes U page. See additional SMS links below.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/118193148204944/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SatSci
iTunesU (includes 77 previous talks): https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/saturday-morning-science/id525505899

Party With the Stars (the next one is tonight!)
This is a program sponsored by the Central Missouri Astronomical Association (CMAA), and offered at the Columbia Public Library (CPL) approximately once a month. The program is scheduled on a Friday after the library closes, so entrance is through the Gene Martin Secret Garden at the back, and begins with with a slide presentation in the “egg” (Children’s Program Room). Following the presentation, there will be one or more telescopes in the parking lot for viewing (weather permitting).
CPL schedule: http://www.dbrl.org/programs
CMAA Website: http://cmaaastro.com/
CMAA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Central-Missouri-Astronomical-Association-CMAA/253929498328

Cosmic Conversations
This is a program offered at the University of Missouri (Columbia) (MU), in the MU Physics Building. A wide variety of astronomy-related topics are covered, and the program is offered at 7 pm on the first Wednesday of the month, during MU’s fall and spring semesters. Find the schedule at http://stardust.missouri.edu/CosmicConversations/, or check the FCMo calendar. Bonus: Laws Observatory is open at the top of the Physics Building, weather permitting, after the talk.
Upcoming talks: Volcanoes of the Solar System, Meteorite and Comet Impacts (kid friendly), and IGERT Neutron Scattering Talks.

Laws Observatory
CMAA opens Laws Observatory year-round on Wednesdays from 8-10 pm (weather permitting). It is also open for special events, including the MU Museum Crawl every fall (this year on Thu Sep 26, 2013). The observatory is closed if the Wednesday falls on the eve of a major holiday, or a major holiday week. Location: The top of the MU Physics Building (5th floor). Check the CMAA Websites above for more info.

Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Planetarium
The Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Planetarium, located in Rock Bridge High School, was closed over the summer for a major renovation, and reopened in September 2013. The planetarium has regular second Saturday of the month public shows, generally from 2-4 pm, including a movie/video followed by a star tour with the 39-year-old star ball. The schedule can be checked at the links below, or on the FCMo calendar.
http://www.columbia.k12.mo.us/rbhs/academics/planetarium.html
http://www.cpsplanetarium.org/
(The first link is more regularly maintained at the time of this posting. The second link is the intended regular site for the planetarium.)