Astronomy Day at Highland Road Park Observatory

Everyone, get your telescopes trained on the thirteenth annual International Astronomy Day, which returns to the Highland Road Park Observatory today. Expect exhibits and demonstrations from Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club, Baton Rouge Gem and Mineral Society, Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, EBR Metropolitan Airport, East Baton Rouge Parish Library Bookmobile, EBR Mosquito Abatement, BREC’s Art on the Geaux, Louisiana Space Consortium’s MARS Truck, St. George Fire Protection District and many more. Homemade comet exercise and face painting.  A dry slide, spacewalk, hamster balls, and an Adventure Quest will delight the kids. Author Lisa Calhoun will promote her novel Superflare, inspired by the real-life possibility of the loss of our nation’s power grid. Representatives from Little Wars gaming shop will showcase abstract-strategy and science-related tabletop games. Attendees will view the Sun, the Moon, Mars, two asteroids and (possibly) Omega Centauri—weather permitting. The Adventure Quest game will allow kids to earn neat prizes.

We daresay it will be out of this world! 3 pm–11 pm. For $5, enter the raffle for ver $500 in astronomical equipment and materials, including the first prize, an 8” Orion Dobsonian Skyquest Dobsonian Reflector Telescope. (225) 768-9948 or visit hrpo.lsu.edu.