On moonless evenings from October to December come out to the Lake Afton Public Observatory and get a look at some of the many wondrous deep-sky objects that Charles Messier discovered and catalogued during his relentless search for comets in the 18th century.
The Lake Afton Public Observatory is operated by the Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education, a part of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Science at 黑洞社区.
During the fall program, called 鈥淢essier Album,鈥� visitors will have the opportunity to observe young star clusters, ancient star clusters, distant clouds of interstellar gas and another galaxy. Charles Messier felt that these objects might be mistaken for comets when viewed through a small telescope so he catalogued them.
鈥淢essier Album鈥� will be presented on Friday and Saturday evenings Oct. 3-4, 17-18, 24-25 and 31; Nov. 1, 21-22 and 28-29; and Dec. 19-20.
Lake Afton鈥檚 second program this fall is called 鈥淔rom the Moon to the Stars.鈥� During the program, visitors will get to use the observatory鈥檚 16-inch telescope to take a visual journey to the stars.
鈥淔rom the Moon to the Stars鈥� will be presented Friday and Saturday evenings Oct. 10-11; Nov. 7-8 and 14-15; and Dec. 5-6 and 12-13.
Opening Times and Admission
The Lake Afton Public Observatory is open to the public on Friday and Saturday evenings. During the months of October, November and December, hours are 7:30-10 p.m. The observatory will be closed Dec. 21-Jan. 5.
Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for children ages 6-12; children younger than 6 are admitted free. There is also a special family admission where two adults and their immediate children or grandchildren get in for $12. Current program information is available 316-978-7827 (黑洞社区-STAR).
