Tag: planets

bookmark_borderNight Skies in the Observatory

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Second Thursday of Each Month
Thursday, September 12 – 7:00PM-10:00PM (Presentation at 8:15PM)
Cost: $5.00 per person, Free for Members

About Night Skies in the Observatory
Hosted by Chief Astronomer at The Franklin Institute, Derrick Pitts, the Joel N. Bloom Observatory is open late to the public and offers 5 different telescopes for you to view celestial objects in the sky, including stars, planets, nebulae, and if conditions are right, a galaxy or two. The evening includes a Fels Planetarium show and a lecture or presentation (appropriate for ages 5 and up) on an astronomical or space science topic. The Observatory is staffed with knowledgeable observers and free star maps are provided. Meet some BIG STARS on the second Thursday of each month at The Franklin Institute! Admission is $5.00. Members are free. Advance reservations are not needed. Tickets are sold on-site when you arrive.

bookmark_borderFree Community Telescope Observatory Night

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Montgomery County Community College will host the first of three spring semester Community Observatory Nights on Wednesday, Feb. 20, from 7-9 p.m.in its state-of-the-art Observatory and on the Observation Deck, weather permitting. The Observatory is located on the third floor of the College’s Advanced Technology Center, Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Please call the observatory hotline, 215-641-6460, an hour before the scheduled event for information about cancellation.

Community nights are free of charge and are open to the public, and astronomy clubs are welcome. Students from the College’s Introduction to Astronomy course volunteer during the event to share their knowledge and assist visitors with using the telescope and viewing equipment.

The Observatory and Observation Deck are features of the College’s 60,000 square-foot Advanced Technology Center. The Observatory features a 16-inch MEADE Schmidt-Cassegrain research-level telescope and a 90-mm Coronado telescope for safe observation of the sun. All of the instruments are controllable both in the classroom as well as in the Observatory itself. Through a fiber network, images can be downloaded for further study and comparison and can be used in online courses.