Moon.

DR. DENNIS W. DAWSON, PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY WESTERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY Travelers Science Dome at the Gengras Planetarium.

Astronomy nights telescope, Stamford Museum & Nature Center. DISCOVER CONNECTICUT'S POWER NOREEN GRICE TTAARR UNIVERSITY PLANETARIUMS SS STAMFORD MUSEUM & NATURE CENTER AND OBSERVATORIES Leitner Family Observatory and Planetar- by international teams (Back to the Moon for ium at Yale University in New Haven is open to Take in the stars, planets and the moon at these planetariums and observatories. Good) and other children’s programs. the public for planetarium shows on Sunday Several planetariums, including the Gengras afternoons and Tuesday evenings, except during Planetarium, the duPont Planetarium and the Yale’s winter break. On Tuesday evenings, visitors Treworgy Planetarium at Mystic Seaport in also can view the night sky through two per- Mystic, offer live tours of the night sky, showing manently mounted telescopes – a computer- By Valerie A. Russo visitors how to locate and identify the stars, controlled reflector telescope and the historic planets and constellations at the time of their eight-inch Reed refractor telescope, which was the 1960s, the Apollo astronauts Contact all sites before you go in case viewing visit. The live tour at the Treworgy Planetarium purchased in 1882 to study the transit of Venus IN trained in planetariums to learn sessions are canceled due to cloudy weather. explains how to use the stars for navigation, an across the face of the sun. celestial navigation. Today, plan- important skill for sailors in the 19th century. Public nights at Western Connecticut State etariums and astronomical observatories MUSEUMS AND SCIENCE CENTERS On selected Friday nights, the Observatory University Observatory in Danbury are held around the country offer public tours of the The Travelers Science Dome at the at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center on Saturdays, usually every other week, during night sky, showing planets in the solar system Gengras Planetarium at The New Children’s in Stamford gives an astronomy presentation, the university’s spring and fall terms. The public and galaxies light years away. Museum in West Hartford offers a rotating followed by a viewing of the night sky through a program starts around sunset with a one-hour And in Connecticut, more than a dozen variety of programs for families with young 22-inch research grade telescope. Typical sub- planetarium show (which involves a description sites – museums, science centers, universities children. In November and December, the jects for observing are planets, double stars, of objects in the night sky for the season and a and observatories – offer public stargazing planetarium schedule includes two seasonal planetary nebulae, galaxies and Iridium flares. question-and-answer session with the obser- programs. Some sites have a planetarium presentations: Lars the little Polar Bear and Once a NIKE missile radar site, Talcott vatory director) followed by a viewing of the theater, a round space with a high ceiling an animated holiday show with Christmas Mountain Science Center at the top of Talcott heavens through the recently renovated 20-inch where the public can see simulated stars and music. Don’t miss From the Blue Planet to Mountain in Avon offers views of the night sky Ritchey-Chrétien reflector telescope. take an imaginary trip through space. Other the Red Planet, a full dome planetarium pro- during monthly public sky-gazing programs in On the first and third Saturdays of the month, sites have an observatory building, platform gram about the journey from Earth to Mars the Alan L. Bean Hypospherium, the largest Copernican Observatory and Planetarium at or roof where the public can view celestial produced by planetarium staff with a grant teaching planetarium in the state. Central Connecticut State University in New objects in the night sky with the observatory’s from NASA. High-powered reflector telescopes available Britain offers planetarium shows followed by telescopes. And some sites have both a plane- The Henry B. duPont III Planetarium at to sky-gazers include a 16-inch Meade, a 17-inch night sky observation through telescopes. tarium and an observatory. the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport offers Dobsonian for deep sky viewing, a 12.5-inch Tins- Public stargazing events are hosted through- Here is a list of some places where you can a trip to the moon with Sesame Street charac- ley and several 8-inch and 10-inch Cassegrains. out the academic year at Olin Observatory at tilt your head back and take in the night sky. ters (One World, One Sky), a race to the moon

JOURNEYS • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER • 2016 27 Bowman Observatory with Venus and Jupiter conjuction in the background.

RICK BRIA Treworgy Planetarium at Mystic Seaport. JOE MICHAEL

Connecticut College in New London, which has light, allowing visitors to see some celestial a 20-inch Ritchey–Chrétien reflector telescope. objects with detail and see objects deep in the Van Vleck Observatory at Wesleyan Univer- night sky, such as star clusters and galaxies. sity in Middletown offers three public star-gazing Operated by the Westport Astronomical Society, programs. During the academic year, there’s Rolnick Observatory in Westport offers public Rain or Shine Space Nights for high schoolers stargazing on Wednesday nights. In the dome and older on Wednesday nights, and Kids’ Nights observatory is the 12.5-inch Newtonian reflector on the first and third Fridays of the month. Year- telescope. Set on the lawn is the newly upgraded round, the Astronomical Society of Greater 25-inch Obsession reflector, the largest telescope Hartford hosts public observation sessions once in Connecticut available to the public. a month, on a Saturday. Bowman Observatory in Greenwich, oper- Three or four times a semester, the Robert K. ated by the Astronomical Society of Greenwich, Wickware Planetarium at Eastern Connecticut is open to the public on the first and third State University in Willimantic hosts public star- Wednesdays of every month for night sky view- shows, which begin with a planetarium show ing with the new 16-inch computer-controlled and end with a viewing of the night sky through Ritchey-Chrétien reflector telescope. telescopes. On the second Saturday of the month, the John J. McCarthy Observatory in New Milford OTHER OBSERVATORIES offers an astronomy program, followed by view- New Pond Farm Astronomy Observatory, ing of the night sky through the observatory’s part of an environmental education center with 16-inch telescope and smaller telescopes. a working farm in Redding, offers public sky- The Dorrit Hoffleit Memorial Observatory gazing on one Saturday evening per month – either at White Memorial Conservation Center in slightly before or slightly after the first quarter Litchfield, maintained jointly by the Mattatuck moon – when there are great shadows on the and Litchfield astronomy clubs, offers 10 public moon, providing dramatic views. star parties each year. Each star party includes an The observatory’s two main telescopes, set on astronomy lecture, followed by observation a wooden platform at the top of a hill, are Schmidt through a 17.5-inch reflector telescope, which Cassegrain reflectors. The large mirrors focus the has computerized controls. ■