Where:

Frosty Drew Observatory

When:

Saturday September 5, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.

Cost:

$1 Suggested Donation per Person

Tonight's forecast is calling for clear skies all night long with stable atmospheric conditions to boost our views. The Moon has moved into a waning gibbous phase and will rise just before midnight. Add in excellent tunes from the Rhythm and Roots festival in the park and we are setup for another awesome night under the stars. A fitting end to our Summer Saturday Stargazing Nights.

We will open the Observatory tonight at 7:30 p.m. and start off with views of Saturn and its stunning rings. As the night moves on, nebulae, star clusters, binary stars, and galaxies will be on display as we sway to the sounds of Rhythm and Roots. We plan to stay open late and will have the Moon on display after it rises. The Sky Theatre and Nature Center buildings will remain closed tonight to better accommodate the increase in visitors from the music festival.

Rhythm and Roots engineers and planners did a fabulous job with lighting this year, restricting the majority of light to the festival grounds with minimal light spill onto the Frosty Drew campus. Festival parking staff have been courteous and aware of Frosty Drew visitors and access to the Frosty Drew campus is easily available. Huge props to the crew at Rhythm and Roots for being so awesome!

Next week we will return to our autumn - spring Friday Stargazing Nights schedule. We will open periodically on Saturday nights for special events, though we will only open regularly on Friday nights until Memorial Day Weekend 2016. Starting Friday, September 11, 2015 the Observatory and Sky Theatre will open within 30 minutes after sunset and will continue with that schedule through most of autumn. It's been an awesome summer at Frosty Drew!

Stop in tonight, catch a view of Saturn, and check out some of the amazing bands playing the music festival. Expect a lot of people in the park, loud tunes, and parking check points. When approaching the festival parking staff, kindly inform them that you are visiting Frosty Drew Observatory and they will let you pass. If super dark skies is your goal, you may want to sit this one out. Otherwise, come and have a holiday weekend geek out with us under the stars.