SkyWatch: Discovering Planets

Join us for an evening celebrating one of astronomy's greatest breakthroughs. This event marks Neptune's discovery in 1846—a historic moment when scientists located a planet using math rather than observation alone. You and your family will dive into the methods astronomers use to find planets, both in our solar system and beyond. Through two hands-on activities, you'll investigate how shadows and stellar wobble help us spot distant worlds, then see it all come together in our planetarium dome. The night wraps up with time on our private observatory deck, where you'll peer through professional telescopes at Saturn, the Moon, and a binary star system (weather permitting). This program welcomes all ages and skill levels—no prior astronomy knowledge needed. Plan for about two hours. Tickets must be purchased online in advance; we don't offer walk-up sales. The event runs rain or shine unless unsafe conditions develop.