May 7 Astronomy Day Celebration
Day- and Nighttime Astronomy Viewing, Kids’ Water Slide and Bounce House, Telescope Workshops, a Celestron Telescope Giveaway and More!
SARASOTA, Fla. – Saturday, May 7 is the nationwide celebration of Astronomy Day, and you can count on the Suncoast Stargazers to bring you the biggest celebration in the area! This family-friendly wonderfest is absolutely free, and it’s guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone’s face – whether they’re simply curious about the sky or total telescope nerds.
Saturday, May 7 – Celebrate Astronomy Day All Day and All Night!
10 a.m. – Noon Daytime observing of the Sun, Venus and Jupiter with the sophisticated telescopes and expertise of the Suncoast Stargazers amateur astronomers.
All day Kids’ water slide and bounce house, solar system walk, and family-friendly science fiction movies
Noon Astronomy Q&A – You have questions about astronomy, space travel, even astrophysics? Howard Hochhalter of Suncoast Stargazers has the answers!
6 p.m. Telescope workshop – BYOT (Bring Your Own Telescope) so our experts can help you troubleshoot and use it most effectively.
Approx. 7:50 p.m. FREE drawing for Celestron Starsense Explorer DX telescope. It connects to your phone to give you a mobile tour of the universe!
8-11 p.m. Nighttime observing of first quarter moon, the M3 globular star cluster containing more than 500,000 stars, and the M51 Whirlpool Galaxy with powerful star-formation factories at work in its graceful winding arms. No need to bring a telescope – you can use ours!
WHERE: The Hollow
826 S. Moon Dr.
Venice, Fla.
PRICE: Free! No need to register – just show up.
Then gather with the Suncoast Stargazers just a few days later to witness the total lunar eclipse of the Blood Moon:
Sunday, May 16 into Monday, May 17 – Total lunar eclipse
This total lunar eclipse will happen as the Moon’s orbit is passing close by Earth, making the Moon appear relatively large that night. Fun fact: This is known as a “supermoon.”
WHEN: 10pm – 1am. The Moon will be totally engulfed in Earth’s shadow from around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday until about 12:50 a.m. on Monday.
WHERE: Robinson Preserve Expansion
1704 99th Street NW, Bradenton
Presented in partnership with our friends at Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources.
PRICE: Free! Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/304855459887
May is the last month of the astronomy viewing season in Florida until fall, so now is the best time for couples, families, and others to check out these Suncoast Stargazers opportunities. Just bring your family, friends, and your sense of wonder. We’ll take care of the rest!
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Suncoast Stargazers is a welcoming community to encourage, nurture and grow an understanding of the night sky. Our goal is to help those who look up to better interpret and appreciate what they are seeing. For more information visit www.SuncoastStargazers.com.