Troy, N.Y. - The Hirsch Observatory on the Rensselaer campus will offer free public observing beginning Wednesday, April 24, and continuing every Wednesday through the end of August. The observatory will open for three hours beginning at sunset (approx. 8-8:15 p.m. this time of year) if skies are clear or mostly clear.

One of the most exciting planetary viewings will come on May 7, when Venus, Saturn, and Mars form a small, bright triangle, with Mercury and Jupiter falling just outside its perimeter. In June, focus turns to the stars as Ursa Major, whose brightest stars form the Big Dipper, claims its spot high in the sky. The stars of Ursa Major have long been used to locate and identify other stars.

July will let viewers explore the Milky Way, and Aug. 11 will be peak viewing for the annual Perseid meteor shower, which will be enhanced this year by a dark, moonless sky.

In addition to these wonders, viewers can examine planetary nebulae, globular clusters, and binary star systems with the observatory's 16-inch telescope.

Amateur astronomers and graduate students from the Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy Department at Rensselaer will provide star charts and help identify constellations and other heavenly bodies.

Contact: For more information call the StarLab at 276-6763.