Where:

Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center

When:

Fri, Mar 14, 2025 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Cost:

$5 Suggested Donation Per Person

Welcome to the Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center's 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 increasing clouds after sunset with fog setting in after midnight. We are expecting partly cloudy conditions during our event, which could make for difficult views depending on how heavy the clouds may be. Considering that the full Moon occurred this morning (during the total lunar eclipse) tonight’s sky will be blazing with bright Moon light. So we wouldn’t have observed any deep sky objects anyway. We’ll take the night as it goes and make the best with what we have.

We’ll open the Observatory, Science Center, and Sky Theatre at 7:30 pm tonight. In the Observatory we will direct the large 24 inch telescope towards Jupiter and Mars. Sadly, the side of Mars we will see tonight is rather featureless, which will make for less than optimal viewing of the red planet. We’ll also observe some carbon stars and binary stars tonight as well. Temps will be warmer tonight than they have been on Friday evenings, and the wind should be calm. In the Sky Theatre and Science Center it will be warmer than the observatory and outside, and onscreen we will show our regular feature of celestial objects photographed at the observatory. We’ll stay open until 10:00 pm.

Overall, tonight is not looking like the best night to be out. We will have the super bright full Moon and it will be a bit cloudy. If super dark sky viewing is what you are looking for, then tonight will be a night to skip. We are also expecting fog at some point overnight, and we always get fog several hours before forecasts note, which means we could end up fogged out tonight. If you’re in the local area, stop in for a view. Otherwise, we think tonight is a miss.

If you are looking for that awesome astronomy thing to do or just want a night out to experience the cosmos under the darkest sky in Rhode Island, then this is your chance.

Take a moment to catch up on some astro-happenings in:
A Celebration of Space - March 14, 2025

Be sure to subscribe to the Frost Drew Observatory mailing list and follow us on Instagram to receive status updates about our Stargazing Nights program and more.

Preparing for Your Visit:

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.

How to Dress for Winter Conditions: The Frosty Drew Observatory is not climate controlled, and the temperature inside the dome need to match the outside air temperature for a stable telescopic view. Frosty Drew Astronomy Team members dress in layers during the winter and for a very good reason. You should consider doing the same. Please read Dressing for All-Night Winter Stargazing to familiarize yourself with adequate dressing measures.

Please note that we do not allow any white lights on our campus or in Ninigret Park from dusk - dawn, with the exception of low beam headlights while in motion. 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.