News
September 2, 2015Dudley Observatory @ miSci Goes Global with International Observe the Moon Night September 19
The Dudley Observatory at miSci (the Museum of Innovation and Science) is hosting an International Observe the Moon Night event Saturday, September 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. at miSci. Joining with people from around the world participating in similar events across the globe, residents of all ages from the Capital Region and beyond will come together for hands-on astronomy activities and observing the Moon through telescopes (weather permitting).
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is an annual world-wide public engagement program that encourages observation, appreciation, and understanding of our Moon and its connection to NASA planetary science and exploration. People from all over the world will be joining in the celebration by uniting on this one day to look at and learn more about the Moon together.
“International Observe the Moon Night with the Dudley Observatory at miSci is a chance for people from throughout the region and beyond to come together to explore our Moon and its importance to NASA projects and exploration,” said miSci President Dr. Mac Sudduth.
International Observe the Moon Night is sponsored by NASA‘s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA‘s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), and the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
miSci is located at 15 Nott Terrace Heights in Schenectady. Admission to International Observe the Moon Night is $6.50 for children (3 – 12), $8 for seniors (65+), and $9.50 for adults. For more information, please call 518.382.7890 x 259 or visit www.dudleyobservatory.org.
About Dudley Observatory
The Dudley Observatory, chartered by the State of New York in 1852, is the oldest independent organization in the United States supporting research and education in astronomy and the history of astronomy. The current focus of the Dudley Observatory is on using astronomy to promote science education, with an emphasis on education, recruitment and early career development in science and technology. The Dudley Observatory’s library contains one of the world’s finest collections of historically significant astronomical texts, including rare books of Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler. The first Dudley Observatory was constructed on a hill in North Albany in 1856. In 1893 a second Observatory was built on Lake Avenue near New Scotland Avenue in Albany and remained in operation until 1965. During the 20th century, Dudley Observatory astronomers achieved world class status with their accurate determination of the positions and motions of more than 30,000 stars. From 1956 to 1976, the Observatory was a world leader in the study of micrometeorites, tiny particles less than one-ten-thousandth of a meter in diameter that bombard the earth from space. During the 1970s, the Dudley Observatory also operated a 100-foot radio telescope at Bolton Landing, New York. Dudley Observatory’s programs include the SkyWatch Lectures, the Rising Stars Internship program, the Hessberg Campership Award, Starlab inflatable planetarium programs for schools, Octagon Barn Star Parties, and the Summer Astronomy Institute for Teachers at RPI.
About miSci
Founded in 1934, miSci is the only science center in Tech Valley offering a multimedia experience for visitors of all ages and serves school children from northeastern New York, western Massachusetts, and southern Vermont. miSci houses the Challenger Learning Center of the Capital Region, a state-of the-art STEM teaching tool which offers simulated space missions to school classes, community groups, work teams, scout troops, birthday celebrations, camp-ins, private parties and team building events. In 2012, miSci entered into a partnership program with the San Francisco-based Exploratorium’s ExNET (Exploratorium Network for Exhibit-Based Teaching) program, miSci receives a different group of hands-on, exploratory-rich exhibits each year for five years, as well as access to the Exploratorium resources to advance each partner’s work in specific areas such as education, inquiry, science engagement, and exhibit development. The Suits-Bueche Planetarium at miSci houses the only GOTO Star Projector in the northeast and is an official NASA Space Place. miSci’s Archives include an extensive GE Photograph collection, with more than 1.6 million prints and negatives; an archival collection with more than 3,500 cubic feet of historic materials; and more than 15,000 objects relating to the history of science and technology. miSci’s Archives houses an 1878 Edison tinfoil, the second oldest documented Edison tinfoil recording, the oldest playable American voice. miSci offers Science Zone, with weekly hands-on activities and challenges; Saturday Science Zone activities are sponsored by National Grid. For more information, visit www.misci.org.
