Grand Rapids Public Museum

April 2 and 3 • 8-10 pm

Viewing for Friday's event is on.

100 Hours of Astronomy – Weather permitting, members of the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association, local amateur astronomers, and Chaffee Planetarium staff members will set up telescopes in convenient parking lots throughout the community and invite passers-by to glimpse celestial objects.  The goal is to get a record-breaking number of people worldwide to look through a telescope just as Galileo first did four centuries ago.  Viewing will be free, local observation points are listed here.

Own a telescopes and wish to be a part of this initiative? Contact the Chaffee Planetarium staff at 616.456.3977 to specify your viewing location during the event and get added to the online list.

April 15 • 8 pm

NASA’s Dr. Brent Bos, a Zeeland native, will lecture about his experiences working on the Mars Phoenix Lander in the Public Museum’s 2nd floor theater.  This presentation is free to the public.

May 2

International Astronomy Day - The Public Museum invites the community to immerse itself in the study of stars and the skies. Visitors can explore a large model of the solar system, learn consumer tips for purchasing a new telescope, and receive assistance in repairing and fine-tuning older telescopes. Chaffee Planetarium astronomers will guide visitors in safely viewing the sun through special telescopes, weather permitting.  At 7:30 pm, the public is invited to a free lecture at the James C. Veen Observatory, located at 3308 Kissing Rock Road in Lowell, by local astronomer Dell Paielli, whose groundbreaking asteroid research has earned him significant acclaim. Afterwards, visitors can view the skies through high-powered telescopes during the first Public Observatory Night.