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Weston Families Special Events

Thursday September 12
International Observe the Moon Week


See the moon’s craters through a huge telescope, enjoy a short planetarium show, and hold a rock from the moon (lunar meteorite).

Free event for Weston school families with children in grades 4 and up.

If weather doesn't allow for the telescope, we will still hold indoor activities.

Registration Required - Space is limited.
Reserve spaces for 6:00 - 6:40 pm
Reserve spaces for 7:00 - 7:40 pm
Reserve spaces for 8:00 - 8:40 pm
Thursday October 10
International Astronomy Day

See the moon’s craters through a huge telescope, enjoy a short planetarium show, and hold a rock from the moon (lunar meteorite).

Free event for Weston school families with children in grades 4 and up.

If weather doesn't allow for the telescope, we will still hold indoor activities.

Registration Required - Space is limited.
Reserve spaces for 6:00 - 6:40 pm
Reserve spaces for 7:00 - 7:40 pm
Reserve spaces for 8:00 - 8:40 pm
Thursday November 14
Celebrate the Beaver Moon

See the moon’s craters through a huge telescope, enjoy a short planetarium show, and hold a rock from the moon (lunar meteorite).

Free event for Weston school families with children in grades 4 and up.

If weather doesn't allow for the telescope, we will still hold indoor activities.

Registration Required - Space is limited.
Reserve spaces for 6:00 - 6:40 pm
Reserve spaces for 7:00 - 7:40 pm
Reserve spaces for 8:00 - 8:40 pm

WESTON FAMILIES TELESCOPE NIGHT

Weston Families please join us for this special evening for your children in grades 4 and up. On a typical evening we will turn our large 12" diameter telescope toward the moon, planets, stars, space station, and other objects in the night sky.

This event is free for Weston Families on this night.  Children must be supervised by parents at all times. Optional: BYO binoculars, warm jacket, hand sanitizer, bug repellent.


Other Public Telescope Nights

Weather permitting, we will try to open on select Friday or Saturday evenings in the spring, summer, and fall. Start and end times may vary according to sunset times and astronomical events, generally 8-9 pm. See the Events Calendar for specific dates and times.


Additional Activities

Depending on staff availability, we may offer inside astronomy activities as well, such as planetarium shows, touching a rock from outer space (70 lb meteorite!), weighing yourself on the moon and planets, viewing the 3D astronomy displays, selfies with the R2D2 robot, operating the Mars robotic arm to pick up Mars rocks, and more.


Weather

If the weather is rainy or overcast, we will not have telescopes outside, although you are welcome to come in to see other STEM opportunities at NEST. In case of questionable weather, call 508-720-4179 about one hour before the event for a final decision.

WESTON FAMILIES PLANETARIUM SHOW

We offer free IN-HOUSE Public Planetarium shows on special occasions. Watch the Events Calendar for them. NOTE: We can also bring a planetarium to your school - see the Traveling Outreach Planetarium page.


Student Preparation

The 4-meter diameter inflatable dome is in a room with many astronomy and space science artifacts, meteorites, and NASA memorabilia. Students and adults will sit on the floor on small yoga mats or small beach chairs. Students must be at least 8 years old and not afraid of the dark or enclosed spaces. Students must have good balance to step through the vestibule doorways and be well behaved and quiet when inside.


Dome Capacity

Assuming a class with 1 teacher, there is room for approximately 12 elementary school children, 10 middle school children, or 8 high-schoolers or adults. The dome has a double door vestibule for easy access while standing up.


Dome Equipment

The dome is kept inflated by a large box fan, so fresh air is always flowing through. An HD video projector, amplified speakers, and a computer, make up the projection equipment. The dome is made of a fire retardant material and easily flipped up and over the group for emergency exit.


Shows

We have a variety of multimedia shows about planets, asteroids, eclipses, NASA missions, telescopes, etc. (See complete list of shows here.) We also have several "short" shows which are combined with a “live show” about constellations and the night sky using a star planetarium software to fill a typical half-hour experience. Most shows are geared toward grades 4 and up.


Additional Options

When you visit our planetarium, we often also show other educational items if time allows, such as meteorites, a dinosaur egg, pieces of NASA space gear, or something pertinent to the topic you request. This could round out your visit to a full hour and add extra interest to your visit.


Upcoming Events
Upcoming Telescope and Planetarium Events

If you have any questions about the planetarium nights, bringing groups, or other activities at NE SciTech, please call 508-720-4179.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)


Q: How comfortable is it sitting on the floor?
A: The floor is covered with a 3/4" thick foam mat and additional yoga mats make the surface fairly comfortable. With more students, everyone will sit upright, but with fewer students, you can lie down and "look up at the stars."

Q: How comfortable for adults? 
A: We can place up to 6 small, low-to-the-ground beach chairs in the dome for adults who want them.

Q: What else can we do during our visit?  
A: We often open the NE Sci-Tech space for visitors to tour, visit the space science classroom, and try out the planetary scales, a Mars robot arm, touch a large meteorite, 3-D space display, amateur radio room, and more.

Q: What is the difference between multi-media and live shows? 
A: We have many professionally made shows that have sound, music, and narration that cover various topics in space science. The live show is done by the astronomer using a star planetarium software to take you on a tour of the night sky, constellations, and planets. We can show what is up currently in the sky, or take a tour through time to the past or future.

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