On the evening of Friday, January 10th the Horizons Observatory will partner with the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park to offer a free night sky event.  Starting at 5:30 pm in the Park’s Forest Center, Rob Hanson (co-director of The Horizons Observatory) will present a simulation both describing and explaining the phases of our moon, a pattern that has occurred for more than four billion years.  After the presentation, we’ll step outside to witness the full moon rising over the fields of Billings Farm (weather permitting) and, for those interested, take a full moon walk in the Park.  A telescope and astronomical binoculars will be available for viewing.  Please note, the moon phase presentation at the Forest Center will begin at 5:30 regardless of the weather.
 
Dress appropriately for a winter evening outside.  We're looking forward to seeing you and your friends for a night beneath January’s “Full Wolf Moon”!
 

Greetings Horizons Observatory Supporters,
Please note we will be using a new notification service through Blogtrottr.  This replaces RSSFWD that is no longer supported. Since we are unable to move over email addresses into the new service, all those who wish to receive the Horizons Observatory blog post updates will need visit this new link and enter your email address.  We are currently planning public observing winter stargazing events this winter and spring, so you’ll want to submit your email soon.
Throughout the year, the Horizons Observatory hosts free public stargazing tours by knowledgeable docents using telescopes, binoculars, and naked eye observation.   To ensure clear skies for these events, a “short notice” (24-36 hours before the event) email is sent out to anyone signed up through Horizons Observatory notification service.   
We look forward to seeing you, your family, and friends at the next public stargazing event!
 Sincerely,

Rob Hanson and Scott Holson
Horizons Observatory Co-Directors
​
​​

Greetings Horizons Observatory Supporters,
Please note the observatory notification service will be using a new email update service called Feedburner. This replaces RSSFWD that is no longer supported. Since we are unable to move over email addresses into the new service, all those who wish to receive the Horizons Observatory blog post updates will need visit this new link and enter your email address. 
Throughout the year, the Horizons Observatory hosts free public stargazing tours by knowledgeable docents using telescopes, binoculars, and naked eye observation.   To ensure clear skies for these events, a “short notice” (24-36 hours before the event) an email is sent out to all those on the updated Horizons Observatory notification service.   
We look forward to seeing you, your family, and friends at the next public stargazing event!
Sincerely,
Rob Hanson and Scott Holson
Horizons Observatory Co-Directors
​

Hello Horizons Observatory Supporters!
A clear moonless sky is forecast for Saturday night (September 21st)  - so the Horizons Observatory will be open to the public for stargazing from 7:30-9:00 (weather permitting).  Among the celestial objects we’ll view using the observatory’s 14” Celestron telescope will be Saturn (a jewel!), Jupiter, the Hercules Star Cluster (M13), the Whirlpool Galaxy, and the Ring Nebula (M57). Dress warmly.  
The Horizons Observatory is located on the campus of The Prosper Valley School at 1071 Pomfret Road, Pomfret, VT.
Please do not bring flashlights since this will reduce our ability to view the sky.  We're looking forward to seeing you and your friends on what promises to be a beautiful late summer’s night full of stars!
The event will be canceled in the event of cloudy skies.
 
Throughout the year, the Horizons Observatory hosts free public stargazing tours by knowledgeable docents using telescopes, binoculars, and naked eye observation.   To ensure clear skies for these events, a “short notice” (24-36 hours before the event) email is sent out to all those on the Horizons Observatory notification service.  To be placed on the notification service, simply go to www.horizonsobservatory.org, click on “Blog”, type in your email address in the space provided, and click “Submit”.  It’s that easy!  The Horizons Observatory is located on the grounds of The Prosper Valley School in Pomfret, Vermont.  
 
Rob Hanson,  Scott Holson

• Horizons Observatory Co-Directors

​ 
Spring Star Party: A Two Part Affair
May 24, 2019
Astronomy presentations followed by stargazing beneath Vermont’s glorious night sky.
 We welcome you to join us for one or both!
 
 
Part One: Astronomy Presentations: 7:30-8:30pm
 
Location: Forest Center, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Historical Park
 
• 7:30-8:00pm – Stellar Evolution by Hayden Hewitt and Aidan Kehough-Vella
• 8:00-8:30pm - Finding Your Way Around Vermont’s Spring Night Sky by Woodstock Union High School Astronomy Club
 
Note: The presentations at the Forest Center will occur regardless of the weather!
 
 
Part Two (if weather permits): Stargazing at The Horizons Observatory (less than two miles down the road from the National Park!)
 
Location: The Horizons Observatory at The Prosper Valley School
(1071 Pomfret Road, Pomfret, VT) from 9:00-11:00pm
 
Woodstock, VT: On Friday May 24, 2018, the Horizons Observatory will host a star party in partnership with the Springfield Telescope Makers (STM) of the Stellafane Observatory and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.
 
Beginning at 7:30pm, students from The Prosper Valley School and Woodstock High School will make astronomy presentations.  At 9:00 pm, members of the Springfield Telescope Makers will have a variety of telescopes, many of them handmade, set up on the grounds of the Horizons Observatory and will be aiming them at a variety of deep-sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and planets for visitors to explore and enjoy.
 
 


Attending a night sky event comes with some etiquette conventions that may be unfamiliar to first-time attendees but which enhance viewing conditions for everyone. Most importantly, bright, white lights are discouraged at night sky viewing events; bright lights ruin your night vision and the night vision of those around you. Attendees are encouraged to bring a red-light flashlight or a flashlight with a red lens or with a red piece of plastic covering the bulb. Even with red lenses, use your light sparingly; on a clear night, your eyes will adjust quickly to the dark conditions. It is also important to remember that telescopes are expensive and that many of the telescopes at this event are hand crafted and difficult to replace. Please follow the instructions of the STM member staffing the scope you are looking through. And finally, ask lots of questions. The amateur astronomers who are bringing their telescopes to this event love the night sky and sharing it with others.
 
The Horizons Observatory was founded in the summer of 2004 with a vision of creating a small astronomical observatory to serve local schools and the general public as a resource for science education in the greater Woodstock area.  To this end, ongoing stargazing events are hosted by the Horizons Observatory throughout the year.  To be placed on the Horizons listserve, simply go to www.horizonsobservatory.org, click on “Blog”, type in your email address in the space provided, and click “Submit”. 
 
The Springfield Telescope Makers is a club founded by amateur telescope maker Russell Porter in 1923. The club is devoted to promoting the practice of crafting high-quality telescopes by amateur astronomers. The club owns and maintains the Stellafane Observatory on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont, at which it offers free mirror-grinding workshops in the winter months and hosts the annual Stellafane Convention of amateur telescope builders and night sky enthusiasts in the summer. More information about the Springfield Telescope Makers, the Stellafane Observatory and the Stellafane Convention can be found at www.stellafane.org.


Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, located in Woodstock, Vermont, is the only unit of the national park system established to tell the story of the history of the conservation movement in America. That story is told through the lives, experiences, and contributions of George Perkins Marsh, Frederick and Julia Billings, and Mary and Laurance Rockefeller, all of who lived and explored the forests and fields that now make up the park. The park is open daily from Memorial Day weekend through the end of October. For more information, call 802-457-3368 or visit www.nps.gov/mabi.
 

​Hello Horizons Observatory Supporters,
Please be aware that the Horizons Observatory WILL be open to the public to view Sunday night’s (January 20th) Supermoon Total Lunar Eclipse.  The dome will open from 11:15pm-12:45am for moon gazing with the observatory's 14' Celestron telescope as-well-as binocular viewing.  

Total eclipse begins: 11:41pm
Greatest eclipse: 12:13am
​Total eclipse ends: 12:43am
 
We know this is really late at night, but school is not in session the next day (due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day) so students (and maybe some adults!) will be able to sleep in the following day. Dress super warmly!  Please do not bring flashlights since this will reduce our ability to view the sky.  
PLEASE NOTE: This event will be cancelled if the sky is cloudy. 
However, if the sky is clear, we're looking forward to seeing you and your friends!

Woodstock, VT: On Saturday May 12, 2018, the Horizons Observatory will host a star party in partnership with the Springfield Telescope Makers (STM) of the Stellafane Observatory and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. The event will be located at the Horizons Observatory at Prosper Valley School (1071 Pomfret Road, Pomfret, Vermont) and will free and open to the public.
 
At 8:30 pm Rob Hanson (co-director of the Horizons Observatory) will make a 30 minute presentation entitled A Cosmic Sense of Place.  At 9:00 pm, members of the Springfield Telescope Makers will have a variety of telescopes, many of them handmade, set up on the grounds and will be aiming them at a variety of deep-sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and planets for visitors to explore and enjoy. Rangers will also have an activity booth for astronomy-based junior ranger activities.
 
The event will occur regardless of weather. In the event of rain or heavy clouds, night sky viewing may not be possible but the presentation will happen regardless of weather.
 
Attending a night sky viewing event comes with some etiquette conventions that may be unfamiliar to first-time attendees but which enhance viewing conditions for everyone. Most importantly, bright, white lights are discouraged at night sky viewing events; bright lights ruin your night vision and the night vision of those around you. Attendees are encouraged to bring a red-light flashlight or a flashlight with a red lens or with a red piece of plastic covering the bulb. There will be a limited number of red glow sticks available for those without a red flashlight. Even with red lenses, use your light sparingly; on a clear night, your eyes will adjust quickly to the dark conditions. It is also important to remember that telescopes are expensive and that many of the telescopes at this event are hand-crafted and difficult to replace. Please follow the instructions of the STM member staffing the scope you are looking through. And finally, ask lots of questions. The amateur astronomers who are bringing their telescopes to this event love the night sky and sharing it with others.
 
The Horizons Observatory was founded in the summer of 2004 with a vision of creating a small astronomical observatory to serve local schools and the general public as a resource for science education in the greater Woodstock area.   To this end, ongoing stargazing events are hosted by the Horizons Observatory throughout the year.  (To be placed on the Horizons listserve, simply go to www.horizonsobservatory.org, click on “Blog”, type in your email address in the space provided, and click “Submit”.)   As well, local students have taken over one hundred stunning photographs of galaxies, nebulae, planets, and globular clusters under the guidance of local docents.   These images may be viewed in the gallery section on the Horizons Observatory website.
 
The Springfield Telescope Makers is a club founded by amateur telescope maker Russell Porter in 1923. The club is devoted to promoting the practice of crafting high-quality telescopes by amateur astronomers. The club owns and maintains the Stellafane Observatory on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont, at which it offers free mirror-grinding workshops in the winter months and hosts the annual Stellafane Convention of amateur telescope builders and night sky enthusiasts in the summer. More information about the Springfield Telescope Makers, the Stellafane Observatory and the Stellafane Convention can be found at www.stellafane.org.
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, located in Woodstock, Vermont, is the only unit of the national park system established to tell the story of the history of the conservation movement in America. That story is told through the lives, experiences, and contributions of George Perkins Marsh, Frederick and Julia Billings, and Mary and Laurance Rockefeller, all of whom lived and explored the forests and fields that now make up the park. The park is open daily from Memorial Day weekend through the end of October. For more information, call 802-457-3368 or visit www.nps.gov/mabi.
 

On the evening of Saturday, March 31st the Horizons Observatory will partner with the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and Billings Farm to offer a free night sky event.  Starting at 7:30 pm at the Billings Farm parking lot with Horizons Observatory director Rob Hanson, we’ll witness the full moon rising over the fields of Billings Farm (weather permitting).  A telescope and astronomical binoculars will be available for viewing the moon and a number of other bright celestial objects.
 
Dress appropriately for an early spring evening outside.  Cloudy skies will cancel the event.
​

​On the evening of Saturday, November 4th the Horizons Observatory will partner with the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park to offer a free night sky event.  Starting at 5:30 pm in the Park’s Visitor’s Center, Rob Hanson (co-director of The Horizons Observatory) will present a simulation both describing and explaining the phases of our moon, a pattern which has occurred for more than four billion years.  After the presentation, we’ll step outside to witness the full moon rising over the fields of Billings Farm (weather permitting).  A telescope and astronomical binoculars will be available for viewing.  Please note, the moon phase presentation will occur regardless of the weather.
 
Dress appropriately for an autumn evening outside.  We're looking forward to seeing you and your friends for a night beneath November’s “Full Beaver Moon”!