Planets Everywhere!!

Hello everyone,

This is a tidbit from Sky and Telescope's This Week's Sky at a Glance page.....

A dawn challenge: Set the alarm to get up Friday [or Saturday] morning well before your local sunrise time, grab binoculars or telescope, and get to a spot with a view of the eastern horizon by a half hour before sunrise. The waning crescent Moon will be hanging in the east. If the air is clear Venus should be easy to pick up far to its lower left. Try next for Mercury, Jupiter, and, for a real challenge, tiny Mars next to Jupiter, as shown here.
Here is a map to help you find all those planets!
 

-The 5A's

Come observe beautiful Saturn with us!

Hello everyone,

This past Sunday, April 3 marked Saturn's opposition for 2011.  A planetary opposition occurs when a given planet is opposite the Sun from Earth.  As such, when the Sun sets in the west the planet rises in the east and vice-versa.  It also means the planet will generally be its brightest on and during the weeks around opposition.  This month will be an exceptional time to observe Saturn with virtually any telescope large or small.  Our Saturday evening our FREE Public Observatory Program offers a great opportunity to see beautiful Saturn and its rings through a telescope that's as long as a bus! 

The Observatory is open free to the public on clear Saturday evenings starting at 9 PM and suitable for all ages.  For directions to the Observatory and all other details please visit our Observatory Program information page.

-The 5A's