The Physics Department at Middlebury College will again host a series of Open House nights at the College Observatory this summer. The observatory, located atop McCardell Bicentennial Hall, will be open to the public for viewing the heavens on the following Wednesday evenings: July 2, July 23, July 30, August 6, and August 13, from 9:00 PM until 10:30 PM each evening, provided the skies are mostly clear.
A highlight for the first few of these evenings, at least, will be the planet Saturn, with its ever-popular rings. Saturn and Mars will be prominent in the western sky, though both will become lost in twilight by mid-August. Also visible through our telescopes will be a number of interesting stars, star clusters, and nebulae. There is no set program for the Open House nights; the public is invited at any time between 9:00 PM and 10:30 PM.
All the observatory public nights are free and open to the public, but will take place only if the sky is at least mostly clear. These are minimal language events, and students in all the summer schools are welcome. If the weather appears uncertain, visitors may call the observatory at 443-2266, after 7:00 PM on the evening of the Open House for a status report. More information can also be found at go/observatory .