Contacting Frosty Drew Observatory by phone, e-mail, groups and membership

Contacting the Observatory

Frosty Drew Observatory has no telephone or Internet connections. The telephone in the Frosty Drew Nature Center cannot be heard in the Observatory and will not be answered on Friday evenings. Any e-mail sent to us within an hour of opening on Friday, we will not see it until the following morning.

If you are attempting to determine if we will be open on Friday, please look at the home page. If the image shows the Observatory with doors and shutters open, we expect to be open. We open shortly after the sun sets and we will expect to be open, weather permitting, until near midnight.

If the image shows doors and shutters partially open with a question mark we think opening is doubtful. We normally do not use this symbol until the Friday for which the opening is questionable. We are no more able to predict the weather this evening than anyone else. We suggest the local forecast on TV or the Weather Channel be consulted. You can attempt to determine the cloud coverage by looking at our Clear Sky Clock as well.

If the image show the doors and windows completely shut and a slashed circle symbol we are closed. Normally we will be closed on a Friday evening if the weather is predicted to be bad. We will also use this symbol if unexpected problems such as an illness or a personal emergency force us to close.

Questions about Astronomy

If you have general questions about astronomy or Frosty Drew Observatory you can contact an Astronomer at Frosty Drew Observatory . You'll be put in touch with one or more of our astronomy staffers. We'll do our best to answer your questions. We may have to respond to some questions by saying we don't know the answer. We cannot write excessively long or involved answers via e-mail. Some apparently simple questions have very complex answers. For example "Why is the night sky dark?" This question, called Olber's Paradox, took centuries to be answered correctly! If you come down to the Observatory on the next clear Friday night, we will do our best to answer your long or involved questions.

We will not respond to questions about astrology, horoscopes or similar topics.

Large Groups

If you are inquiring about a visit by a large group (a class trip or a scout group for example), please send an e-mail to the staff. Please contact us several weeks before the proposed date. You can always come down in any case, but it helps us if we know that an unusually large number of people will arrive. If your group wants to see something specific, please let us know that as well.

We have a policy for children's groups of one RESPONSIBLE adult per 8 children. We prefer more adults per child ratios particularly for younger children. This is for the children's safety. Children must not be unsupervised at any time.

Mailing Lists

Until very recently, we used a form to ask for subscriptions to our mailing list. We mail the log book reports from the Frosty Drew Observatory plus very occasional announcements (such as classes or special opening nights for unusual astronomical events). We do not sell or share our mailing list.

Unfortunately some hackers have found a way to subvert the mailing list mechanism, so we are reverting to a simple e-mail. To join our list simply complete the subscription e-mail with your name and e-mail URL.

If you wish to be dropped from the mailing list, please click the button below. When the email form is displayed, click send.

	If you are attempting to determine if we will be open on Friday, please look at the home page. If the image shows the Observatory with doors and shutters open, we expect to be open. We open shortly after the sun sets and we will expect to be open, weather permitting, until near midnight.
	If the image shows doors and shutters partially open with a question mark we think opening is doubtful. We normally do not use this symbol until the Friday for which the opening is questionable. We are no more able to predict the weather this evening than anyone else. We suggest the local forecast on TV or the Weather Channel be consulted. You can attempt to determine the cloud coverage by looking at our Clear Sky Clock as well.
	If the image show the doors and windows completely shut and a slashed circle symbol we are closed. Normally we will be closed on a Friday evening if the weather is predicted to be bad. We will also use this symbol if unexpected problems such as an illness or a personal emergency force us to close.