Join us for an out-of-this-world day at the Museums! Be among the first to experience all-new shows in the Seymour Planetarium with our new full-dome projector. Enjoy activities and demonstrations on the Museums Grounds and in the Science Museum. Astronomy Day began in California in 1973 as a way to share the joy of astronomy with the public and has grown into a worldwide annual event. Free with museum admission, unless noted.
Today’s Highlights
Tour the Universe Live
This is live, one-time-only planetarium show, STEM Curator Kevin Kopchynski will fly us through the known universe using OpenSpace and preview astronomical events coming up during the second half of 2023 and make stops along some of his favorite points in our solar system. Seymour Planetarium, Second Floor, Springfield Science Museum. Planetarium Ticket required – Buy now.
Observatory Tours, 12 and 2:30 pm
The 20-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope has been educating the public and delighting visitors for more than fifty years! Richard Sanderson, Adjunct Curator of Physical Science and President of the Springfield STARS Club, helped carry pieces of the telescope up the stairs for installation in 1972. Gather at the bottom of the stairs for a tour with Richard to hear the history of the telescope, and to hear how we are still using this amazing instrument today. Weather permitting, we may get a daytime view of the moon! Rooftop Observatory, Second Floor, Springfield Science Museum
Ongoing Activities
Sunspot Viewing, 11 am-3 pm
Look through telescope carefully prepared with filters to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays. See the surface of the sun and prominences with the museum’s new solar scope, and see sunspots on the surface with traditional telescopes. Quadrangle Green (weather permitting)
Detect UV Rays with Solar Beads, 11 am-3 pm
What are ultraviolet rays and how can they be dangerous to life on Earth? Learn what materials let UV in and what materials block them out. Make a pony bead bracelet to take home and test the light on your own in this hands-on activity. Quadrangle Green (weather permitting)
Exploring the Universe: Orbiting Objects, 11 am-3 pm
This hands-on activity invites visitors to experiment with different sized and weighted balls on a stretchy fabric gravity well. The activity models gravitational attraction in space. Participants investigate how changing conditions can cause phenomena like stellar wobble and planet formation. Astronomy Hall, First Floor, Springfield Science Museum
Meet the Springfield STARS Club, 11 am-3 pm
From meteorite collections to varieties of binoculars, and from vintage astronomy books to the James Webb Space Telescope, each STARS Club member’s interests are unique! This long-time partnership has brought the museum assets like the 20-inch reflector telescope in our rooftop observatory and the Foucault pendulum. Meet the members to learn more about their passion for the night sky. Astronomy Hall, First Floor, Springfield Science Museum
Star Formation, 11 am-3 pm
Learn how stars form from dust & gas in space in this experiment! Habitat Hall, First Floor, Springfield Science Museum
Orbiting Objects, 11 am-3 pm
Explore how gravity keeps objects in orbit and prevents them from flying off into space. Mammal Hall, First Floor, Springfield Science Museum
Constellation Station, 12-4 pm
Build constellations and moveable models of our solar system. Art Discovery Center, Second Floor, GWV Smith Art Museum
