Outdoors, model rockets will soar through the sky. Indoors, the wonders of the solar system will dazzle visitors seated beneath the darkened Planetarium dome.
These are just a few of the highlights of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum's celebration of National Astronomy Day on Saturday, April 24, from 11:00 a.m. to midnight. (General admission fees will be charged.)
The program will include:
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- Model rocket demonstrations (at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 p.m.)
- Safe viewing of the sun through solar telescopes
- Planetarium astronomy shows, live sky talks
- Children's games, and craft projects to take home
- Storytelling related to astronomy and space
- Telescope demonstrations
- Night sky observing with telescopes (including a huge,
32-inch Dobsonian model) until midnight
- Camera Concepts, a telescope vendor
The Astronomical Society of Long Island (ASLI) and the Long Island Advanced Rocketry Society (LIARS) will co-host the event and answer visitor questions. ASLI members will demonstrate telescope use and LIARS will launch model rockets. Safe "stomp" rockets for kids will be available for $15.00 in the Planetarium gift shop and on the estate grounds. ASLI members will set up 15 telescopes focused on different stars and will invite visitors to view the night skies until midnight.
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Camera Concepts, a telescope vendor, will demonstrate how to take photos of stars and planets using 35-milimeter and digital cameras. In addition to telescopes, the company will have binoculars, filters and eyepieces available for purchase.
