A private tour of the Palomar Dome and a lecture by local astronomer Saloni Agrawal, followed by stargazing, with round-trip bus transportation included.
The Sky Tonight is heading up to Palomar Observatory on Saturday, October 17, for a full day and night of astronomy. It's the latest in the Fleet Science Center's live series, which Resident Astronomer Lisa Will leads. The whole thing is built around connecting people to what's happening in the sky—seasonal constellations, planetary movements, and the latest space discoveries—and it usually plays out under the center's Giant Dome Theater. This time, they're taking it on the road to Palomar Mountain.
This particular edition is 18+, and the program is a good mix of seeing and hearing. You'll get a private tour of the Palomar Dome, followed by a lecture from local astronomer Saloni Agrawal, a San Diego State University graduate student in astrophysics. Her talk is titled Into the Heart of the Milky Way: A Tale of Supermassive Black Holes, and it draws on her research into how stars and black holes form, evolve, and shape the galaxies around them. After the lecture, the night ends with stargazing under the darker skies of the mountain.
Since the observatory is a bit of a trek from the city, the logistics are handled for you. Round-trip bus transportation is required and included, with pickup and drop-off at the Mira Mesa Park & Ride. Tickets also include a choice of Mendocino Farms meals and light refreshments, though you're welcome to bring your own food or adult beverages. One thing to keep in mind: the event is not ADA accessible.
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The day runs from 2:55 PM to 10:55 PM, so it's a long haul that takes you from the afternoon tour through the lecture and right into the stargazing. Tickets are $175.
