Susquehanna Heritage will host Stars Over the Susquehanna, an evening of stargazing and exploring the night sky, at two riverfront sites on Friday, April 26. Both events are free and open to people of all ages.
At Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, Susquehanna Heritage will be joined by the Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County (AELC) for a public star watch party and presentation. Tom Lugar will present "Naked Eye and Binocular Astronomy in Moderate Light-Polluted Skies" inside Columbia Crossing at 7:30 p.m. to help attendees sharpen their observation skills. After the presentation, attendees will be able to view the night sky with binoculars and through telescopes outside, weather permitting. The telescopes will show a variety of celestial objects, such as the Pleiades star cluster and the Orion nebula. AELC members will also point out various constellations and discuss how to navigate the sky.
Across the river at the Zimmerman Center for Heritage, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., visitors may explore Native American star stories and learn how early explorers like Captain John Smith navigated by using the stars, and attendees may create a navigation tool similar to those that early explorers used. At both sites, children ages 5 to 12 can complete activities to become a Junior Ranger Night Explorer. At the Zimmerman Center, children who complete the activities can be sworn in by a National Park Service ranger and earn their Junior Ranger Badge.
Columbia Crossing is located at 41 Walnut St., Columbia. The Zimmerman Center for Heritage is located at 1706 Long Level Road, Wrightsville. Both sites are managed by Susquehanna Heritage.
For more information, readers may contact Allison Scholz, Columbia Crossing program coordinator, at AScholz@susquehannaheritage.org or 717-449-5607, ext. 2, or Paul Nevin, Zimmerman Center for Heritage manager, at PNevin@susquehannaheritage.org or 717-252-0229, ext. 7.
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