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Area Activity Guide: Free Telescope Viewing

Man looking through a telescope

March 2017

See the Stars at the Strasenburgh (Planetarium, that is)

It’s no secret that there’s plenty to discover at the Strasenburgh Planetarium, and you’ll find most of those secrets of the universe in the dark. But here’s a special tip that you’ll be excited to make use of and to share. Once a week, weather permitting, a team of volunteers makes it possible for visitors to see sights that are — literally — out of this world. From dark until 10 pm most Saturdays, the planetarium offers free telescope viewing to the public.

Here’s the key. Before making your way to the planetarium, call the box office (585.697.1945) after 7:30 pm to confirm that the telescope is open.

Even if you’ve visited the telescope in the past, it’s worth another trip to see all the upgrades that have been made to the facilities in recent years. There’s the freshly re-aluminized primary mirror on the 12.5-inch reflecting telescope, a new 11-inch computer-guided telescope, and fresh paint and weatherproofing on the observation deck.

Thank Your Local Astronomer

The Rochester community has a single generous organization to thank for these weekly free telescope viewing sessions, and that’s the Astronomy Section of the Rochester Academy of Science (ASRAS). The group has facilitated free telescope viewing at RMSC since the early 1960s. If you’re seriously interested in amateur astronomy, you might want to get acquainted with another local astronomy organization by attending a meeting of Rochester’s astronomy club. The exceptionally friendly group welcomes beginners.

Noticing a Trend?

Sooooo you might see us posting a lot of events taking place at or somehow related to the Rochester Museum and Science Center. What with the Science Museum, Strasenburgh Planetarium, and Cumming Nature Center, there’s a lot to rave about. But if you know of other local organizations putting on great programming that deserve more attention, please share them with us on our Facebook page. We don’t mean to be partial — there’s just so much good stuff going on!

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