On Saturday, October 19 from 1-10pm, the Von Braun Astronomical Society will host its annual Astronomy Day at the VBAS facilities in Monte Sano State Park. Events will include family fun activities hosted by local science groups, planetarium shows and telescope observing (weather permitting). All activities are free and open to the public.

Outdoor hands-on activities from 1-5 pm will be offered by VBAS, as well as local science enthusiasts from HAL5 (National Space Society Huntsville Chapter), Sci-quest, U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Lonnie Puterbaugh: Astronomy Van.

Short planetarium shows will allow guests to view the night sky indoors, while special solar telescopes outside will offer views of sunspots and solar flares. Visitors may tour both observatory facilities to hear stories about the construction and installation of the telescopes.

Evening activities will kick off at 7:30 pm with a presentation indoors by our keynote speaker, Dr. Donna M. Pierce, Assistant Professor, Astrophysics, Mississippi State University. Outdoor activities will include The Astronomy Channel, a mobile multimedia astronomy exhibit presented by Lonnie Puterbaugh of Nashville, TN, Listening to the Sun, Jupiter and our galaxy on Radio JOVE with Dr. Chuck Higgins, Middle Tennessee State University, http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov, along with the following activities:

*Astrophotography
*Meteorites
*Solar Telescope
*Suitcase Hybrid Rocket, Pin the Payload on International Space Station, and Make and Launch Your Own Paper Air Rocket presented by HAL5.
*Vacuum Jar hands on experiments
*Dry ice dirt comet making, constellation drawing, and solar bead bracelets presented by Sci-quest
*Spectroscopy
*Food Tent
*And many more

In case of inclement weather, some activities may be modified or canceled.

Astronomy Day at VBAS is part of a nationwide series of Astronomy Day events promoted by the Astronomical League, a network of astronomy clubs throughout the United States.

The Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS) is an educational, scientific, nonpolitical and nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of interest in the descriptive and technical phases of astronomy and to encourage participation in observational, computational and applied phases of this and related sciences.

VBAS was founded in 1954 as the Rocket City Astronomical Association (RCAA) by Dr. Wernher von Braun and other Huntsville scientists, who envisioned a place to conduct meaningful scientific research and share astronomy with the community. The VBAS facilities include a planetarium dome constructed from Saturn V support hardware and many other unique architectural features.

For more information visit: http://www.vbas.org