Gaithersburg Hosts Skywatching Programs

From The City of Gaithersburg: The City of Gaithersburg invites you to turn your eyes skyward during its upcoming Skywatching programs at Observatory Park, 100 DeSellum Avenue. It’s a New Moon on Saturday, June 24. With the night’s dark skies, explore twin stars and Mercury from 9 to 10:30 p.m. On Friday, July 7, focus on Saturn from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Ted Avraham, NASA Solar System Ambassador, will lead a pre-skywatching discussion about the “the ringed planet” and the Cassini Mission.

Admission is free and suitable for all ages. August Skywatching events include:

• Perseids Meteor Shower
• Saturday, August 12, 10 p.m. – 1 a.m.
• Bring blankets and chairs to sit or lie on the lawn watching for meteors. Keep children close as it will be dark and watchers will be scattered about the grounds.

• Solar Eclipse Party
• Monday, August 21, 1 – 4 p.m.
• Gaithersburg will be at 80% totality. Join us for an afternoon of solar related activities and observations with safe solar viewers.

Please note these events may be cancelled or modified due to inclement or cloudy weather. Visit www.facebook.com/GaithersburgCommunityMuseum for updates and last-minute announcements. Some accessible parking for those with disability plates or placards is available by the park, with general parking in the St. Martin’s lot at the corner of DeSellum Avenue and Route 355 (a two block walk). Enter the lot on DeSellum Avenue. Note that there are no amenities available and alcohol is prohibited.

Observatory Park will be dark, but please do not bring a bright flashlight; bring a red light as it will be less intrusive to other watchers. Red cellophane will be available to cover any white light flashlights. Also adjust the brightness of electronic devices. If you are interested in additional Skywatching programs, please contact us at 301-258-6160.

Observatory Park is home to the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory Community Museum. For more information, call 301-258-6160 or visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov.

Some of the Gaithersburg Community Museum skywatching and educational programs are supported by The Explore Science: Earth & Space project, led by the Science Museum of Minnesota, in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Explore Science: Earth & Space toolkits are developed and distributed nationwide by the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Net). Throughout spring and summer of 2017, events are taking place at over 250 museums and institutions throughout the country. The National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Network) is a national community of informal educators and scientists dedicated to fostering public awareness, engagement and understanding of current science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). For more information about NISE Net and to download a digital Explore Science: Earth & Space toolkit please visit: www.nisenet.org.

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC67A. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Image Via Pixabay