Thursday Night Sky Observing

Join us on Thursday nights for educator-led stargazing, one hour earlier than on Fridays & Saturdays! On clear evenings from 6 – 9 pm, we roll back our Observatory roof to reveal the night sky, offering guests the chance to peer through our 14″ Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope for awe-inspiring views of the Moon, planets and deep sky objects. Our new Observatory features a permanently mounted 14-inch aperture Aplanatic, flat-field Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope designed for exceptional viewing of star clusters, nebulae and distant galaxies. Housed beneath a roll-back roof that opens directly to the night sky, it supports both public viewing and astronomy education. Our Center also includes a giant walk-up planisphere, a sky-atlas wall for exploring celestial objects and a comfortable warm room with regularly updated astronomy news and observing highlights. Together, these elements create an immersive environment where visitors can explore the universe before stepping outside for a firsthand view through the telescope. Equipment Specs Celestron EdgeHD 14 optical tube assembly Aplanatic, flat-field Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope 14-inch (356 mm) aperture 154-inch (3910 mm) focal length F/11 focal ratio Additional Highlights Roll-back Roof Observatory enclosure/deck Massive walk-up planisphere for interactive sky exploration Sky-atlas wall highlighting celestial objects and deep-sky targets Warm room with regularly updated astronomy news and observing highlights Theoretical resolution: ~0.33 arcseconds Highest useful magnification: up to 840x Fully integrated pier-mounted system Pre-registration not required, just drop in!