The Springfield Museums announce Astronomy Day, Saturday, May 7 from 10 am to 5 pm. Join the Museums for an out-of-this-world day! Astronomy Day features activities and demonstrations on the Museums Grounds and in the Science Museum, all free with Museum Admission.

“The Museums offer opportunities for visitors to get an out-of-this-world perspective,” said Kevin Kopchynski, STEM Educator and Planetarium Manager. “We even offer a virtual tour of Mars that makes you feel as if you are flying over the surface of the fourth planet from the Sun!”

Astronomy Day is a national event that was started in 1973 by Doug Berger, the president of the Astronomical Association of Northern California. His intent was to set up various telescopes in busy urban locations so that passersby could enjoy views of the heavens. Over the years, Astronomy Day has grown into an international event, with hundreds of museums, planetariums, and astronomy clubs participating. The Springfield Museums have been celebrating for many years, introducing thousands of people to the stars.

“The Museums have a long history of promoting astronomy curiosity,” said Jenny Powers, Director of the Science Museum. “The Seymour Planetarium, for instance, was the sixth planetarium to be built in the United States and it houses the oldest operating American-made star projector in the world.”

The historic Korkosz star ball was created by Frank Korkosz, a technician who worked at the Springfield Science Museum, with help from his brothers John and Stanley.

“In addition to introducing generations of Springfield residents to the wonders of the night sky, the Korkosz projector in the Seymour Planetarium stands as an example of Springfield ingenuity, right here at the Springfield Science Museum,” said Kopchynski.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

The Museums will host Dr. Tatiana Niembro Hernández, an astrophysicist from The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory for a virtual talk at 1 pm at the newly refurbished Science Workshop in the Science Museum. She will be speaking about the Sun and the Parker Solar Probe.

Niembro Hernández is a postdoctoral research fellow working for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, MA.  Originally from Mexico, she studied physics and earned her masters and PhD in Space Sciences at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.  Since 2008, Niembro Hernández has been studying the atmosphere of the Sun. She started studying the coronal heating problem, and became fascinated by coronal mass ejections, solar storms, and space weather. At the Center for Astrophysics, Niembro Hernández analyzes data from the Parker Solar Probe, a spacecraft with the mission to get us as close as we can to the Sun.

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE

• Skygazing with guidance from members of the Springfield STARS Club.
• Taking a virtual trip to Mars.
• Learning about the Space suit in the soon-to-open International Space Station gallery and seeing water boil at room temperature.
• Planetarium shows at 1, 2, and 3 pm.