Where:

Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center

When:

Fri, Sep 4, 2026 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Cost:

$5 per person without a Rhythm and Roots ticket Please read below.

Welcome to the Frosty Drew Summer Stargazing Nights! Every Friday night (weather permitting) we open our Observatory, Science Center, Sky Theatre, and telescopes to the sky and offer stargazing and astronomy to anybody interested in observing with us.

Tonight's forecasts are calling for mostly clear sky conditions with a period of passing clouds. The Third Quarter Moon will rise at 11:28 pm, well after our event has wrapped up, leaving the sky dark for our stargazing session. Even without the Moon tonight, we will still have issues viewing a truly dark sky due to the annual Rhythm and Roots music festival that is occurring in Ninigret Park this weekend. Though a fabulous event, the music festival will introduce significant amounts of light pollution to the environment as well as loud music, hundreds of festival goers, potentially confusing traffic patterns, very limited on site parking, and possibly inebriated visitors. Depending on individual preference, not all visitors may consider tonight a family friendly event. Regardless, it is a great time with all the bustle in the park.

We will open the Observatory at 7:30 pm. In the Observatory and Courtyard we will showcase anything the sky has to offer. On our list are Venus, Saturn, Albireo, T Lyra (carbon star), the Pegasus Cluster, the Ring Nebula, and more. Due to the music festival the Science Center and Sky Theatre will remain closed tonight. Our night will end at 10:30 pm.

This weekend will also bring the fabulous Rhythm and Roots music festival to Ninigret Park (home to Frosty Drew Observatory). The event, though loaded with amazing Americana and Blue Grass tunes, will also bring substantial artificial light, loud music, and hundreds of people to the park. We love this weekend because of all the fabulous people, bands, and bustle it brings to the park.

Note that visitors to our event will encounter festival parking attendants and traffic management personnel on Park Lane. Kindly inform them that you are not attending the music festival and are en route to Frosty Drew Observatory and they will let you pass. You DO NOT have to pay to park, nor do you need a Rhythm and Roots ticket to attend the Frosty Drew Stargazing Nights event.

Tickets are required for visitors to attend this event. Inline with our mission to keep costs as low as possible, tickets are $5 per person ages 5 and older. Rhythm and Roots festival ticket holders can attend this event with their Rhythm and Roots ticket. Otherwise, tickets can be purchased online or at the event until the event sells out.

Overall, tonight is not the night to make the long drive. We may have good views of the night sky but parking will be difficult, the festival will be quite loud, and the festival lighting will make for sub-optimal views of the night sky. On the flip side if Americana and Bluegrass are your tunes, then tonight could be a rather unique night of astronomy. So set your sights (and sounds) on Frosty Drew tonight, and have a night with the stars.

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.

Be sure to subscribe to the Frosty 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.

Read about our Observatory Dome Access Passes, which are available on a first come first serve basis.

How to Prepare for Summertime Conditions: The Frosty Drew Observatory is located inside Ninigret Park and borders the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. Insects and arachnids are a concern when visiting the Frosty Drew campus. We have observed mosquitoes, green head flies, deer flies, ticks, biting ants, and more. Please read the Mosquitoes and Insects section on our Visiting the Observatory page to familiarize yourself with adequate preparation measures.