Special Event:  Spring Astronomy Day!!!

Saturday,  April 25th

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm & 7:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Join us for a day of fun and learning – afternoon activities are located in and around the visitor center & evening activities at Park Lot F.

Solar Observation & Afternoon Astronomy Activities 

1:00 – 3:00 pm

Starting at 1:00 pm, our BNA volunteer astronomer, Tom Harper, will have telescopes available to see the Sun up close.

• • 1:00 – 3:00 pm – there will be demonstrations and presentations on various aspects of astronomy.
    • Find out what stars are made of and how they work.
    • Find out how many different types of stars and planets are out there.
    • See how much you weigh and how high you can jump on different planets.
    • Take a walk on our scale model of the Solar System to see just how big and amazing it is. We’ve shrunk everything down so that you don’t have to travel 2.5 billion miles to see Neptune!

Star Gazing & Telescope Set-Up Assistance (Parking Lot F)

7:00 – 10:30 pm

Starting at 7:00 pm, at Parking lot F, we will have some time to learn how to set up and use a telescope before the sky show starts.

• • If you have a telescope and want to learn how to use it this is the place to be.

Tom Harper and our volunteer astronomers will be on hand to assist you and answer questions. We will also have some time to learn about how to find things in the night sky.

So…grab that new telescope you just got or that dusty old thing sitting in the attic and bring it out to find out how much fun they are.

As the Sun sets and the sky darkens we will have telescopes and binoculars available for everyone to see the amazing night sky.

What will be see on April 25th?

• • Jupiter, the king of planets, will be high in the southwest sky with a beautiful Waxing Gibbous moon near by.
  • We may even get a glimpse of Venus as it follows the Sun on it’s journey.
  • Stars, clusters, galaxies will all be there to see while our volunteer guides to the night sky point these out and tell the tales of heroes and villains visible in the night sky.

Note:  This event may be cancelled because of inclement weather which includes snow, rain, significant cloud cover, or extreme temperatures.

A current state park sticker for each vehicle is required and carpooling is encouraged.

Solar and night sky photos courtesy Tom Harper. Waxing Gibbous Moon photo courtesy “Almanac” website.