Lake Afton Public Observatory has recently completed some upgrades to its large 16″ telescope and other new features. To celebrate, they’re inviting the public to come out this weekend – in the evening on Friday, December 29 and Saturday, December 30 – with a special admission discount.
The Observatory will be open from 7:30 to 10 p.m. those evenings.
I spoke with the Director of Lake Afton Observatory Harold Henderson, and he says that if you haven’t been out to the Observatory since it reopened, you should definitely come out. They’ve added several new displays and things to do in addition to looking through the telescope.
For instance, they have new virtual reality goggles you can use with cell-phone based apps to simulate things like the Apollo 15 lunar landing or a tour through the solar system. There are also new PC displays that will let you “build” your own star system and see if it holds together (or not!), and a new display to help illustrate the concept of really, really big numbers (which can be very hard to comprehend!), plus large screen monitors playing fascinating short, educational videos, and new informational posters.
Outside the Observatory – weather-permitting – a volunteer will be on hand to answer questions, point out constellations using a special green laser pointer, and help guests find things through a free-standing telescope outdoors.
This weekend, the special price will be $2 off the regular admission rate or only $16 for families, which is a great deal! If the clouds and weather cooperate, they will be viewing the moon, the Pleiades star cluster, a double star and a variable star. (If clouds are in the way of any of these, they’ll find something else to look at through the big telescope!)
Share with friends and family who would like to find something fun and inexpensive to do for this last weekend of 2017. Also, please feel free to comment about your favorite new feature if you visit Lake Afton Observatory this weekend!
For more information about the Observatory, visit the website at LakeAfton.com
