Summer Stargazing Nights - Post-Perseids
- Where:
- Frosty Drew Observatory
- When:
- Fri, Aug 13, 2021 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm
- Cost:
- $5 Suggested Donation per person 5 years and older
Welcome to the Frosty Drew Observatory Summer Stargazing Nights! Every Friday night (weather permitting) we open our Observatory, Science Center, Sky Theatre, and telescopes to the sky and offer free stargazing and astronomy to anybody interested in observing with us.
Tonight's forecasts are calling for rather uncomfortable conditions on site, with heat and humidity coupled with hazy and partly cloudy sky conditions. Eventually fog will move into our region, probably not until after midnight, but there is always a chance it could happen earlier. Wildfire smoke continues to plague our region, though it should begin moving out today and may not be as heavy as it has been for the past few nights. Considering that we are still in the post-peak period of the Perseid Meteor Shower, there will be several shooting stars that will accompany our night out under the stars. Add in that the 32% waxing crescent Moon will sit stunningly in the southwest sky, and it could be a beautiful, yet sticky, night.
We will open the Observatory, Observatory Courtyard, Science Center, and Sky Theatre at 6:30 pm this afternoon. In the Courtyard we will have our solar telescopes set up to observe the Sun. Sunspot activity remains nearly non-existent, but the solar chromosphere is ripping with prominence, filaments, and plasma. Haze could affect our view of the chromosphere, but we will give it a best attempt. Once the Sun sets we will switch over to dark sky mode, with Venus and the crescent Moon up first. As the night progresses Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s moons, Albireo, Delta Cepheus, the Ring Nebula, and more are all on our list of awesomeness. In the Sky Theatre it will be a bit dryer and on screen we will present a showcase of celestial objects photographed by the Frosty Drew Astronomy Team. We will stay open until 10:30 pm.
Overall, tonight is another risky night. Fog will move in eventually, and it could happen very early, just like it did on Wednesday night. But we have a lot of good prospects, including the likelihood of seeing several bright Perseid meteors. If making the long drive, it’s your call, but you could see yourself completely fogged out. Otherwise, if it’s worth the risk for you, stop in, become introduced to Saturn’s rings, kick off that love affair with the Moon, or just give your inner geek a little room to wander at Frosty Drew Observatory tonight.
Be sure to subscribe to the (Frosty Drew Observatory mailing list, follow us on Twitter (@FrostyDrewOBSY) or on Facebook to receive status updates about our Summer Stargazing Nights program and more.
Take a moment to catch up on some awesome celestial happenings in: A Celebration of Space - August 13, 2021
With the dynamic and rapidly changing pandemic landscape, site visit requirements will be changing very quickly. At this time, tickets are not required to attend this event, but visitors will have to register their name and phone number upon arrival. Note that we will NOT send anything to your phone number. This is used exclusively for contact tracing matters. We are limiting a maximum of 250 visitors concurrently at our event. If this limit is reached, you will have to either wait in your car or take a night stroll around Ninigret Park until availability opens up. Reading our SARS-CoV-2 Public Statement will get you the most recent information about this matter.
If you are looking for that awesome astronomy thing to do or just want a night out to experience the cosmos under the darkest skies in Rhode Island, then this is your chance.
Check out our page on Visiting Frosty Drew Observatory to learn more about what to expect at the Observatory and better help you prepare for your visit.
Please note that we do not allow any white lights on our campus from dusk - dawn. This is to ensure an equally awesome view of the night sky for all and to allow for the use of light sensitive astronomical equipment. Learn more about why we have this requirement in The Red Light District
To allow for visitors to freely explore all of the amazing experiences at Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center without having to wait in long lines, we have integrated a pass-based group access process that applies to only the large telescope inside the observatory dome. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with this process as part of your planning steps.
Please note that due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the detail of this event may change. Please check in regularly, both here and on our SARS-CoV-2 page, to stay up to date.