Where:

Frosty Drew Observatory

When:

Friday May 26, 2017 at 7:00 p.m

Cost:

$1 Suggested Donation per Person

Tonight is Stargazing Night at Frosty Drew Observatory and the forecast continues to look rather unfavorable. Though rain should move out before sunset, we can expect mostly cloudy to cloudy skies progressively clearing overnight. Some forecasting sources are calling for mostly clear skies right after sunset, with most forecasts sticking with mostly cloudy skies. This is unfortunate as tonight is our first Summer Stargazing Night of 2017 and the New Moon occurred yesterday afternoon, making tonight a fantastic night to catch sight of the Milky Way.

We will open the Observatory and Sky Theatre at 7:00 p.m. tonight. We’ll postpone our Solar Observation session until next Friday and instead will be in the Sky Theatre offering a commentary and open discussion on general astronomy while viewing celestial objects photographed at Frosty Drew Observatory. In the Observatory, we will showcase our telescopes and have an open discussion on the type of astronomy we do at Frosty Drew. Once dusk sets in we will put our telescopes on standby and monitor the sky for potential viewing opportunities. We will stay open until 11:30 p.m. if skies clear enough to catch a view. Otherwise, we will pack it up at 10:00 p.m.

Overall, tonight’s residual cloud cover will sadly make for poor viewing opportunities. We had hoped for a fabulous night tonight, though clouds have other plans. It is not uncommon for the skies over Frosty Drew to unexpectedly clear and bring moments of awesome to our hopeful eyes, and tonight could be one of those nights. Following us on Twitter (@FrostyDrewOBSY) or Facebook will get you updates from the Observatory on what is happening, including a “Closing up” post when we decide to pack up for the night. So make the best of a cloudy night and stop in for a quick astro-fix with the Frosty Drew geeks tonight. Maybe Jupiter will shine through for a quick peek?

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Weekly Happenings
Scott MacNeill

When thinking about the planets of the Solar System, each planet has a definable attribute that we associate with it. For example, the “Ringed Planet” always conjures up thoughts of Saturn, which is obvious to any person who has seen Saturn in a telescope. The rings are fabulously visible and are the most memorable part of the view. Though Saturn is certainly the lord of the rings, all the outer planets in the Solar System (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) have rings. On August 27, 2016 the NASA Juno spacecraft, which has been in a polar orbit around Jupiter since July 4, 2016, captured a fantastic view of Jupiter’s delicate rings from an outward view point. Jupiter’s rings, which were discovered by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1979, are very thin and dusty and are comprised of three ring groups. The outer group, comprised of two faint rings, is called the Gossamer Rings. The Main Ring is the brightest of the ring groups and resides closer to Jupiter than the Gossamer Rings. The innermost ring, called the Halo, is quite poofy and thick. Jupiter’s rings appear to have formed by dust ejected from small moons during impact events. Unlike Saturn, Jupiter’s rings are not visible in our telescopes due to their thin state alongside Jupiter’s 3.1° axial tilt, which places the rings nearly on their edge to our view. Make plans to visit Frosty Drew Observatory on a Friday and see Jupiter and Saturn for yourself!

This past Wednesday, May 24th brought the first day of summer to Saturn’s northern hemisphere. Called the Summer Solstice, this event on Saturn happens once every 30 Earth years and marks the point in Saturn’s orbit where the northern hemisphere is at maximum tilt towards the Sun (26.7°). As a result, Saturn’s rings, which sit over Saturn’s equator, are tilted at their maximum tilt towards the Sun and consequently the Earth. This places the top side of Saturn’s rings at their best viewing in 30 years! Even though the Solstice is passed, the rings and Saturn will remain at this tilt for the entire 2017 viewing season, which we will rock at Frosty Drew Observatory this summer. Now get out and see some rings!

Save the Date: Frosty Drew 5K Classic
When: Saturday, June 3rd. Registration starts at 10:00 a.m., race at 11:15 a.m.
Frosty Drew Nature Center & Observatory will kick off outdoor activity with our 7th annual Frosty Drew 5K Classic Run/Walk on Saturday June 3rd, 2017 rain or shine. Registration begins at 10 a.m. Families and friends gather, take in the exhibits, snacks and chat. The children’s fun run, which is a short 100 yard dash, begins at 11:00 am and the 5K begins at 11:15. The purpose of the Frosty Drew 5K Classic is to raise funds so that the Frosty Drew Nature Center & Observatory can continue to provide environmental education to people of all ages and keep its observatory open to the public free of charge on Friday nights throughout the year.

-Scott