Members of the community are invited to explore the night sky this fall during three open community nights in Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) state-of-the-art Observatory and Observation Deck.
Fall 2015 community nights will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. on Mondays Sept. 21, Oct. 12 and Nov. 9. The Observatory is located on the third floor of MCCC’s Advanced Technology Center at its Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.
Community nights are free of charge and are open to the public; astronomy clubs are welcome to participate. Students from MCCC’s Introduction to Astronomy course volunteer during the event to share their knowledge and assist visitors with using the telescope and viewing equipment.
Montgomery County Community College’s Observatory features a 16-inch MEADE Schmidt-Cassegrain research-level telescope and a 90mm Coronado telescope for safe observation of the sun. All of the instruments are controllable, both in the classroom and in the Observatory itself. Through a fiber network, images can be downloaded for further study and comparison and can be used in online courses.
For more information about the Observatory, including events, directions and affiliated associations, visit mc3.edu/campus-life/observatory.
All Observatory events are subject to weather conditions. In the event of inclement or questionable weather, call the observatory hotline, 215-641-6460, an hour prior to the event for possible cancellation information.
