Note: All planetarium show tickets include general admission (access to the exhibits in the Vanderbilt Mansion, Marine Museum, all grounds and gardens, and our astronomy day celebration).
The Vanderbilt Reichert Planetarium will celebrate Astronomy Day 2023 on Saturday, April 29. Astronomy Day at the Vanderbilt is part of an international celebration of educational programs designed to engage audiences in the awe-inspiring fields of Earth and space science. Daytime activities are free to all visitors who pay general admission. Evening observing is free.
The event is generously sponsored by National Grid and PSEG.
This Vanderbilt STEM education event will include exciting science, take-home materials, and engaging discussion about science and society. Participants will create nebula spin art, investigate constellations, explore craters, and much more! These fun activities introduce guests to the ongoing research happening at NASA in the fields of Earth science, planetary science and astrophysics. Astronomy educators will perform free earth science and astronomy demonstrations for adults and children. Toolkits for these demonstrations were developed by the National Informal Science Education Network (NISE NET).
There will be several sessions during the day where members of the Astronomical Society of Long Island, an astronomy club based at the Planetarium, will be offering a brief overview of what you should consider before buying a telescope. After the talk, club members will be available to answer questions and to understand your specific interests, budget, and goals. Times for the sessions will be posted so you can plan to attend at your convenience.
The Reichert Planetarium Astronomy Educators and the Astronomical Society of Long Island will set up telescopes in the Rose Garden adjacent to the planetarium. Visitors will have a chance to see close up views of the Moon and other celestial highlights in the nighttime sky. Telescopes are available to visitors of all ages and will be free.
Astronomical Society of Long Island member, Ed Anderson, will be conducting brief sky tours to show you what can be seen with your eyes alone and how binoculars can enhance this experience. If you have binoculars of any size, you are invited to bring them. There will be a limited number available for use during the session. Ed will show you the proper way to adjust binoculars and use them to enhance your enjoyment of the sky.