Night Skies in the Observatory

night skies

The Joel N. Bloom Observatory is open for evening public observing on the 2nd Thursday night of every month. On these nights The Franklin offers 5 different telescopes for you to view celestial objects in the sky, including stars and star clusters, planets, nebulae, and if conditions are right a galaxy or two. The evening runs from 7 to 9 p.m. and includes a Fels Planetarium show and a lecture or presentation (appropriate for all ages) on an astronomical or space science topic. The Observatory is staffed with knowledgeable observers and free star maps are provided. Admission is $5, Members are FREE! Please note that some programs require pre-registration.

To learn more about the Joel N. Bloom Observatory click here.


May 8 - Space Weather: Brought to you by The Sun!
Thursday, May 8th, 7-9PM
Admission: $5
Members are Free.
*Registration required (walk-ups are welcomed) - 215.448.1254

On Thursday, May 8th, Solar Expert, Steele Hill, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center takes us to the hottest spot in the solar system during his 7:30pm presentation in Musser Theater. The STEREO solar imaging satellite shows remarkable 3-D imagery of our sun in action. Come take a look!

To accompany the evening, two shows will be playing:

  • 3D Sun (Franklin Theater, 7pm & 8pm)
  • Heart of the Sun (Planetarium, 7pm & 8pm)

June 12 - International Space Station
» On-going construction must be completed by 2010. Then what?

July 10 - Kristen Qualls -Walking On the Moon
» Who were the men who went to the moon? How will we ever go back and what will we do when we get there?

August 14 - Hubble Space Telescope v4.0
» Space veteran and the original HST repairman Story Musgrave helps us understand the final upgrade/repair mission and what’s ahead in space telescopes.

September 11 - How To Buy a Telescope
» Thinking about a telescope as a holiday gift? Now’s the time to learn what to buy.

October 9 - The New World Space Race: East Beats West?
» Franklin Medalists look at how the ‘race for space’ has changed since the last century.

November 13 - The Pioneer and Voyager Space Probes
» Still going after all these year, where are they now and what are they doing?

December 11 - Space Materials and Space Spinoffs
» What kind of materials can withstand the rigors of the space environment?