The Physics Department at Middlebury College will sponsor the first “open house” night of the summer season on Wednesday evening, June 15, at the College Observatory, located atop McCardell-Bicentennial Hall. The observatory will be open to the public for viewing the heavens from 9-10:30 p.m., provided skies are clear.

The moon will be full that evening; in fact, there is a partial lunar eclipse June 15, but those of us in North America will miss out on seeing this one—it’s visible only in the Eastern Hemisphere. A highlight of the evening will be Saturn, always a splendid sight through any of our telescopes. There is no set program for the open house; the public is invited at any time between 9-10:30.

The observatory dome houses a 24-inch computer-controlled telescope.  In addition, several smaller telescopes will also be available on the roof deck for observing the night sky.

This event is free and open to the public, but will take place only if the sky is at least mostly clear. If the weather appears uncertain, visitors may call the observatory at 802.443.2266, after 7 p.m. on the evening of the open house for a status report.

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