Where:

Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center

When:

Fri, Sep 11, 2026 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Cost:

This Event Has SOLD OUT

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 stargazing and astronomy to anybody interested in observing with us.

Tonight's forecasts are calling for clear sky conditions with comfortable temps. The new Moon occurred at 11:27 pm ET last night, and will not be present in the night sky tonight. Even though most of the Frosty Drew Astronomy Team will be at Cherry Springs State Park in PA this weekend for the annual star party, the stunning forecast for tonight’s sky was too good to pass up. So we will host a smaller event tonight to celebrate fabulous views of the cosmos.

We will open the Observatory and Science Center at 7:30 pm. In the Observatory and Observatory Courtyard we will direct our telescopes towards the super dark sky. On our list are Albireo, the Ring Nebula, Messier 27 white dwarf, the Pegasus Cluster, and more. Courtyard telescopes will have views of Venus, Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy and anything else the sky has to offer. In the Sky Theatre we will show our regular feature of celestial objects photographed at Frosty Drew Observatory, and the Science Center will have exhibits on display. We will close up at 10:30 pm.

Overall, tonight looks like an amazing night to be out at the darkest spot in Rhode Island. If super dark sky conditions with the Milky Way is your thing, then tonight is certainly your night! If making the long drive, tonight will be the night to do it. We have a limited number of team members that will be on site tonight, and we initially were going to stay closed. So we will have less telescopes than we usually do on excellent nights. Regardless, it will be a spectacular night.

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. Tickets can be purchased online or at the event until the event sells out.

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.

Visit our daily ephemerides tool to find out what Solar System objects are visible this week.

How to Prepare for Autumn 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.

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.