This event has been cancelled due to cloudy weather. A new date will be scheduled for mid-November. 

Did you know that this is a great time to see our neighboring planets?  Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, and the moon are all visible in the evening sky this month, both by eye and by telescope.  Come to see them from the MSU-St. Andrews STEM center in Midland!

Families with school-age and older children are invited to an evening of astronomy and observing.  We will have a number of different telescopes available for you to use and look through.  We will begin with a short discussion describing the different telescopes we have, and some fun information on astronomy in general.  Then, once it gets dark, we will begin our observing session, and it promises to be a very special evening.

Very early in the evening, we may try to catch a glimpse of Jupiter before it sets in the western twilight.  If it’s still in view, we will also be able to see several of its Galilean moons.  These can be seen with binoculars, so feel free to bring them if you own a pair.  We’ll show you where to look.

Saturn, in the southwest, will make a fine appearance.  Its rings can be seen in our telescopes, as well as its largest moon Titan.  Saturn’s rings are tilted towards us, so this is a great time to see them.

Mars, in the south, is coming off of its best opposition in many years and is still in a great position for viewing.  It is much brighter than most stars.

If you’ve never seen the moon through a telescope, this will be a special treat.  The crescent moon photo shown below was taken using a cell phone through our smallest scope.  On Astronomy and Telescope Night the moon will be in a gibbous phase, one day past full, so it will not rise until our session is underway.  However, later in the evening, the great impact crater-and-ray systems like Tycho, Copernicus, and Kepler will be very prominent.  The “Ocean of Storms” will be visible, as well as a number of the lunar “seas.”

There are always other options to see on Astronomy and Telescope Night.  Many stars and constellations will be visible from our St. Andrews site.  We can help you learn to identify the brighter stars by name, as well as the brighter constellations.  The distant planet Uranus will also be visible on this night; we can show you where to look for that as well.  It all depends on what interests our attendees the most!

We are located at 1910 W. St. Andrews, at the next driveway east of the Grace A. Dow Library.  Come to see our newly refurbished Alden B. Dow building and grounds.

Date:  Thursday, October 25, 7 PM.  In case of clouds or bad weather, we will cancel and regroup some night in November.