Where:

Frosty Drew Observatory

When:

Friday September 11, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Cost:

$1 Suggested Donation per Person

Tonight's forecast, though dismal at the time of writing, looks pretty good. Skies should clear just around sunset offering us mostly clear to clear skies to revel in. Overnight there is a slight chance for patchy fog, though largely it looks like a great night. Add in that tonight brings the New Moon, and we could be in for an awesome night of cooler temps, stunning starscapes, and an excellent late summer night out under the stars.

We plan to open the Observatory and Sky Theatre at 7:30 p.m. tonight. In the Observatory, Saturn and its strikingly beautiful rings will be on display. Once Saturn drops to the western horizon, we will direct our telescopes towards dozens of stunning deep sky objects including nebulae, star clusters, the Andromeda Galaxy, binary stars, and more. The Sky Theatre will feature a showcase of photographs we have captured at Frosty Drew Observatory of the celestial objects we observe. If weather holds out we will stay late, possibly until dawn. Check in with us on Twitter (@FrostyDrewOBSY) or Facebook, we post a “Closing up” message when we decide to pack it in.

Though today's weather is looking rather grim, tonight appears to be a different story. The New Moon and clear skies will offer excellent geek out opportunities, endless astro-fixes, and an overall set up for a night of awesomeness. So take this chance to visit Frosty Drew Observatory and see what the raving under the Charlestown, Rhode Island skies is all about!

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Weekly Happenings
Scott MacNeill

This coming Sunday, September 13, 2015 a partial solar eclipse is taking place. Unfortunately for us U.S. sky watchers, we will miss out, again. Visible only over parts of southern Africa, the southern Indian Ocean, and Antarctica, the Moon will pass in between Earth and the Sun partially blocking sunlight from illuminating Earth's surface over those regions. Though not visible in the sky, the web will surely rock views for all to see. Visit the Slooh Community Observatory early Sunday morning just after 1:00 a.m. to catch a live view. Then grab onto a thread of patience because August 21, 2017 will bring a total solar eclipse to most of the United States! Just not New England, only partial for us.

On September 9th a fabulous image of Occator crater was released by the NASA Dawn mission team. Occator crater is the huge crater on dwarf planet Ceres that hosts the mysterious white spots that have grabbed our attention for years. The latest image returned from Ceres shows an amazingly detailed view of the white spots from an altitude of 915 miles with a resolution of 450 feet per pixel. The rim of Occator crater is nearly vertical in some places and rises as high as 1 mile. Follow along with Dawn as the spacecraft continues its current mapping phase.

Save the Date! On Saturday, September 19, 2015 International Observe the Moon Night is returning to Frosty Drew Observatory. Starting at 6:00 p.m. and continuing until 11:00 p.m. the Frosty Drew Observatory, Sky Theatre, and Nature Center will be open in full lunar celebration mode. Over the course of the year at Frosty Drew, we frequently bag on the Moon for brightening up our skies and blocking our view of nebulae and galaxies. Though we often forget how awesome the Moon is to observe and all the amazing things the Moon has setup for life to rock here. Visit International Observe the Moon Night to learn more about the event, then pencil Frosty Drew Observatory into your calendar and have a night out compliments of the Moon.

-Scott