Vanderbilt Astronomy Day

Astronomy Day: Science Demos, Hands-on Projects, Telescope Viewing

The Vanderbilt Reichert Planetarium will celebrate Astronomy Day 2023 on Saturday, April 29. Astronomy Day at the Vanderbilt is part of an international celebration of educational programs designed to engage audiences in the awe-inspiring fields of Earth and space science. Daytime activities are free to all visitors who pay general admission. Evening observing is free.

The event is generously sponsored by National Grid.

Daytime program – 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

This Vanderbilt STEM education event will include exciting science, take-home materials, and engaging discussion about science and society. Participants will create nebula spin art, investigate constellations, explore craters, and much more! These fun activities introduce guests to the ongoing research happening at NASA in the fields of Earth science, planetary science and astrophysics. Astronomy educators will perform free earth science and astronomy demonstrations for adults and children. Toolkits for these demonstrations were developed by the National Informal Science Education Network (NISE NET).

Evening program – 8:00 to 10:00 pm

The Reichert Planetarium Astronomy Educators and the Astronomical Society of Long Island will set up telescopes in the Rose Garden adjacent to the planetarium. Visitors will have a chance to see close up views of the Moon and other celestial highlights in the nighttime sky. Telescopes are available to visitors of all ages and will be free.