Stargazing at Hopewell rescheduled for tonight
The 14th annual Starfest hosted by the Chesmont Astronomical Society will be held today from 4 p.m. until late evening at the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Union Township.
The event had been scheduled for Saturday night but was pushed back because today's weather forecast promises better viewing opportunities, Starfest Chairman Robert Cordivari said.
Door prizes include telescopes and binoculars.
"Our club is into observing, public outreach and dark-sky preservation," Cordivari said. "This is a public outreach by our club, which is a very active observing club. It's not a fundraiser. It's just a way for us to get people interested in amateur astronomy and bring in the next generation of amateur astronomers."
This is the first year the society is meeting at Hopewell Furnace.
Gates open at 4 p.m. for solar observing and telescope setup. There will be educational programs for children from 6 to 7 p.m. Keynote speaker Dr. H. John Wood of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and lead optics engineer on the Hubble Space Telescope is scheduled to talk from 8:20 to 9:15. Space observing begins at 9:15.
People should bring a blanket, lawn chairs and a picnic dinner.
Admission and parking are free.
For more information about the society visit www.chesmontastro.org.
(Image by: The Associated Press)