Troy, N.Y. — Weekly, public viewings in the Hirsch Observatory at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will be postponed while repairs are being made to the roof of the Jonsson-Rowland Science Center.

Normally, when the sky is clear and weather permits, the observatory and its 16-inch telescope are open every Wednesday for three hours starting at sunset. The free viewings are expected to resume June 13 and continue through August.

The “star attractions” this spring and summer are the planets. Jupiter and Saturn will be readily visible through June, when Mars will take center stage. Later in the summer, the Perseid meteor shower will be the headliner. Also visible will be the International Space Station and the usual cast of planetary nebulae, globular clusters, and binary star systems.

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: Nicolle Zellner, Rensselaer Star Lab, at (518) 276-6763 or zellnn@rpi.edu

Contact: Patrick Kurp
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A