With the flick of a switch, the 58-inch plasma screen will come alive Sept. 4, featuring images from the new observatory telescope at the grand opening of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center's new observatory dome at 2 Institute Drive.
The dome houses two telescopes for viewing day and nighttime skies. The primary telescope, a Celestron 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, uses a Celestron PRO mount, computerized for tracking planets, nebulae, galaxies and other nighttime objects. The second telescope is a 100mm Lunt, designed for solar viewing of sunspots and other activity. Either telescope can be hooked up to the plasma screen, making images from the telescopes accessible to all.
The celebration will kick off at noon with cake and tours of the new observatory. At 12:15 p.m. there will be a presentation of the center's newest planetarium show, “Two Small Pieces of Glass,” taking visitors centuries into the past to explore how a simple adjustment to a child's spyglass launched our eyes deeper into the wonder of space. Special demonstrations on “Telescopes and Optics” will also be given throughout the day.
At 7 p.m., the Super Stellar Friday program will feature “Jupiter and Its Moons.” Visitors will enjoy the planetarium show “Tonight's Sky” and learn about Jupiter, with a live look via the new observatory telescopes.
Admission is $9, $8 students and senior, $6 children 3- to 12-years-old and free for members. If general admission is purchased before 5 p.m. tickets for the Super Stellar Friday program are $3.
For more information, visit starhop.com.
