Telescopes on the National Mall tonight will give people a chance to see the stars and experience the largest astronomy outreach event in the United States, organizers said.
Hofstra University’s Astronomy Festival on the National Mall (AFNM) will have 35 telescopes in front of the National Air and Space Museum to give a “free guided tour of the sky,” according to organizers.
“I was awarded a NASA grant called music and astronomy under the stars, where we brought telescopes to free outdoor concerts… So in 2010 I just said, why not bring it to the National Mall?” said Hofstra’s coordinator of astronomy outreach Dr. Donald Lubowich.
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Special filtered telescopes will let people see sunspots starting at 5 p.m. A giant blow up planetarium will be in place and people can look at the Capitol or Washington Monument while waiting for clouds to clear, said Lubowich.
“This year, we will have Hubble Space Telescope with its images and how it works, along with the James Webb Space Telescope,” said Lubowich.
Later, people will be able to see Saturn’s rings, he said.
“Research has shown that oftentimes people go into science, medicine, engineering, their first interest in science when they were young, their interest in the Sky and Space,” said Lubowich.
There will be 100 astronomers, scientists and volunteers from 30 science and education organizations in the D.C.-area, including NASA, according to Lubowich.