DUE TO STATE MANDATED EEE SPRAYING SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AUGUST 25 THE STARGAZING EVENT WILL BE POSTPONED. NEW DATE TBD.

The Willard House and the  Grafton Public Library, in partnership with the Aldrich Astronomical Society, Inc, will offer a FREE all-ages Backyard Astronomy Program at Willard House, 11 Willard St, Grafton MA, during the new moon on Sunday August 25, 2019 from 6pm to dark.

The Willard House and Clock Museum will provide fun activities in the field and barn outside the museum beginning in late afternoon, including air burst rockets (safe foam rockets launched via an air tire pump--they can go 500 feet!) and screaming rocket balloons to help kids learn about Newton’s Laws of Motion in a fun way.

The Aldrich Astronomical Society is celebrating the “Legacy of Apollo”, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing.  They will explore the contributions of the David Clark Company in Worcester and will talk about Dr. Robert Goddard, who created and built the first liquid fueled rocket in Worcester.  The Aldrich group will also introduce visitors to star hopping, a simple technique used to find celestial objects in your own backyard and will also offer tips on astrophotography and finding bright planets and star clusters. 

The Library Telescope Program is an important part of the Aldrich Astronomical Society’s community outreach. The Grafton Public Library will be on site to demonstrate their telescope and binoculars--and explain how to borrow the telescope. Astronomical resources, including books, magazines, movies, music and kits will be available for checkout to help families discover beauty of the night sky.

Schedule of events is as follows:

6:00-6:30pm   Family Fun in the field and barn at the Willard House

6:30-7:30pm   “Star Gazing – Backyard Astronomy with your Library Telescope”
PowerPoint presentation in the Barn

 7:30pm-dark Outdoor Star Gazing -- weather permitting!!!