Wonders of the Autumn Night Sky - Saturn & The Zodiac Stars

Learn how to explore and navigate the autumn night sky, including the fall constellations and stories behind them! As summer winds down and Autumn arrives, a new host of celestial wonders graces the night sky. Staring up at the star-filled sky is awesome and humbling. It can also be overwhelming and disorienting. Throughout history, the night sky has served many functions to humanity- a clock, a calendar, a compass, a map and even a story book. Join stargazing lecturer Randall DiGiuseppe of the Custer Institute & Observatory for an evening of learning the basics of navigating the night sky as well as learning the locations and the folklore behind the most prominent constellations of the Fall. For the first time ever, Saturn will be in opposition during our annual Fall sky presentation! To celebrate this special event, Custer’s own Randall DiGiuseppe will make a special stop along his guided tour of the Autumn night sky to explore one of our favorite planets, Saturn. Our tour resumes with a deep dive into the zodiac constellations that reign over the Autumn night sky. Join us for a memorable night of viewing globular clusters, galaxies, and giant ice rings as we celebrate Saturn’s closest approach to Earth all year! This event is being held outdoors and is open to everyone. Just bring an inquisitive mind, a blanket or chair and your imagination. Randall DiGiuseppe is a professional artist, lecturer, telescope builder and amateur astronomer for over four decades. He is a lifetime member of the Custer Institute and Observatory and recipient of the Astronomical League’s Messier Award. He conducts lectures on the dynamics, history and art of the night sky throughout the country. Following the presentation, Observatory staff will provide guided tours of the night sky (weather permitting) through the many telescopes on site, including the apochromatic Zerochromat telescope in our historic observation dome. $5 Adult, $3 Children Under 16, Observatory Members FREE. Due to limited space, registration is strongly encouraged. Please note that this is a weather-permitting event. Event changes will be emailed to the address provided at checkout and posted at www.custerobservatory.org and on this Eventbrite page. Please check for weather updates before arriving. Please bring a blanket or chair to enjoy the presentation.