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Getting to know the stars


The night skies are filled with Mystery and Wonder to share with your Kids. In the Metro are it can be more than a little difficult to clearly make out the Constellations . There are a quite a few observatories in New Jersey"

Planetariums & Observatories in New Jersey
County College of Morris Planetarium
214 Center Grove Rd. Randolph 973-328-5076 • 973-328-5755
The County College of Morris Planetarium is an 80 seat facility which uses a Minolta Planetarium and computer and projector which allows you to see recreation of the seasonal night sky (feels like you are sitting outside but in comfortable chairs) planet locations, and various science topics, such as the planets, latest Chandra discoveries, new planets, and possibilities of Northern Lights. The shows they offer are given live, and therefore shaped to the audience. If you have a question during the show, you are not only allowed, but encouraged to ask it right then and there. The public shows vary every month from topic to topic. The subject usually involves the night sky, and some science, and the level at which it is presented is mixed so that someone of any age will get something out of it. However, younger children who are afraid of the dark might not like sitting there for an hour. There are stories told and science explained. They also offer private shows whereas the topics of these can be whatever topic you would like. The only requirement is that there be 15 people to your group, and the prices are the same. Some groups who enjoy coming are Brownies and Girl Scouts working on their badges, Cub Scouts working on their arrow points, and simply groups of people who are going camping and want to be able to identify constellations when they are out there. The only limit to the topic and the group is the limit of their imagination, in other words, the sky is the limit.
Upcoming: Shapes in the Sky 23 Saturday, May 10, 2008 -- 11:00, 1:00, 3:00 This is part of our series of programs dedicated especially for children ages 3 to 7, with fun for every age! For thousands of years, all over the world, people have imagined shapes among the stars, we’ll learn about many of these shapes and hear the stories behind them.
Dreyfuss Planetarium at The Newark Museum
49 Washington St. Newark 973-596-6529
The Dreyfuss Planetarium, located on the first floor of the Newark Museum, offers an other-worldly experience that is further enhanced by new projection equipment, digital audio and video, computers, video projectors and a Sky-Skan automation system. They house a Zeiss Skymaster ZKP3 star projector, New Jersey's first and only planetarium to own one. They also have a Sphaera, a portable planetarium dome which educators bring to schools enabling students to study the cosmos in their learning environment. A gift shop is available offering astronomy merchandise, books, postcards and more.
John W. H. Simpson Observatory
Washington Crossing State Park Route 579
609-737-2575
The John W. H. Simpson Observatory is operated by the Amateur Astronomer's Association of Princeton and conducts free public starwatches. They house two telescopes, an antique 6.25 inch Hastings-Byrne refractor and a state of the art 14 inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain refractor. The observatory is open to the general public on the first and last Friday nights - March through October, and all Friday nights during the month of May and the month of October. Sessions run from twilight to 11:30 p.m., weather permitting. For convenience, the observatory has a bathroom (summer use only), a heated "warming room" in winter and a telephone. The observatory is open for use at anytime for any member who is a keyholder (keyholders take a short course in observatory operation and agree to accept scheduled duty on a Friday public starwatch night).
Paul H. Robinson Observatory Voorhees State Park Lebanon Township
908-638-8500
The Paul H. Robinson Observatory is operated by the New Jersey Astronomical Association and houses numerous telescopes including a 26" Reflector Telescope which is the largest telescope available to the public in the state. It's base is a massive iron casting nearly 7 feet high weighing over 4 tons and the entire assembly is over 15 feet tall. The observatory is equipped for both photographic and visual observation. With the equipment, you are able to see stars, planets, galaxies, nubulae and other types of deep sky objects. Every 4th Saturday evening each month they host an expert who gives a presentation on some astronomical topic.
Peyton Hall Astronomical ObservatoryPeyton Hall, Ivy Lane, Princeton UniversityPrincetonPeyton Hall Observatory holds public starwatches led by graduate students of Princeton University's Department of Astrophysical Sciences and are scheduled for 7:00-8:30 p.m., the first Wednesday of each month (in the event of cloudy skies, they will reschedule to the second Wednesday). They will be looking at planets, nebulae, open clusters, and (conditions permitting) looking at globular clusters and nearby galaxies using: A 12" Schmidt-Cassegrain. They are quite happy to answer your astronomy-oriented questions (or questions in other areas if you're not overly concerned with them being correct).
To See a chart of best viewing times at the observatories and other sites click here:
http://www.cleardarksky.com/csk/prov/New_Jersey_charts.html

The Sheep Hill Astronomical Association (SHAA) is located in the town of Boonton, in Morris County, and was organized around the mid-1970s. It was formed when several dedicated amateur astronomers decided to group together to build an observatory for their own and public use. The result of their effort is Sheep Hill Observatory with its 16-foot dome housing a 16-inch Newtonian equatorially mounted telescope. SHAA meets monthly and are held in the Boonton Town Hall's Community Room on the first Sunday of the month at 7:30 p.m. Each meeting begins with an astronomical presentation. The club holds public observing nights where all interested parties are invited to visit and view the evening skies at the Sheep Hill Observatory. The sessions are held the third Friday of the month, 7:30 p.m. EST, and 8:30 p.m. DST, weather permitting. Occasionally the observatory is made available for special viewing nights for local schools and scouting groups. There are currently about thirty active members in the organization. SHAA is also a member of the UACNJ and has access to the observatory at Jenny Jump State Forest near Hope, NJ. UACNJ is not a club, but a consortium of a dozen and a half clubs, united to better help support, coordinate, and communicate ideas between the over 1400 individuals who make astronomy their hobby, in and around the state.

CVS has a special on a Vivitar Telescope for only 14.99

Read a review of the Shapes in the Sky Series at CCM

2 comments:

LIVSPARENTS said...

Did you miss the little observatory in Boonton?
http://www.sheephillastro.org/

Hey Mike, It's me, Bill

Michael said...

Thanks I have added it to this page

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