Highland Road Park Observatory

Comet Lemmon Viewing
2025-10-24 19:15 - 20:45 (America/Chicago) | Burbank Soccer Complex, 12400 Burbank Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sunset, 6:23pm CDT
A bright comet awaits! Weather permitting, viewing of Comet Lemmon will be attempted. [For ages six and older. Binocular recommended. No admission fee.]
Twilight Ends, 7:45pm CDT
NOAA Forecast (Good): precipitation potential 0%, sky cover 50%, relative humidity 75%, temperature 21C, wind E 13 km

Solar Viewing
2025-10-25 11:15 - 14:15 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Weather permitting, viewing of the Sun’s image in four different manners (indirectly onto a white surface, directly with safely-filtered optical light, directly in hydrogen-alpha wavelength and directly in calcium-K wavelength) will take place. During this time the Sun will be in the constellation Virgo at a maximum altitude of 47°. Protective clothing and sunscreen are recommended. [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Bad): precipitation potential 49%, sky cover 74%, relative humidity 77%, temperature 26C, wind SE 10 km/h

STEM Expansion: "Spooky STEM"
2025-10-25 14:30 - 18:30 | Highland Road Park Observatory
This program offers advanced topics, activity extensions and all-new games and demonstrations to older youth. Certificates are earned and archived as well as modern experiments take place. There are also giveaways and door prizes. [For ages twelve to sixteen. $15 per EBR parish registrant; $18 per other-parish registrant. Register via WebTrac; use activity number 331321. Deadline for online registration is 6pm the day (Friday) before.]

Comet Lemmon Viewing
2025-10-25 19:15 - 20:45 | Burbank Soccer Complex, 12400 Burbank Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
CANCELLED
Sunset, 6:22pm CDT
A bright comet awaits! Weather permitting, viewing of Comet Lemmon will be attempted. [For ages six and older. Binocular recommended. No admission fee.]
Twilight Ends, 7:44pm CDT
NOAA Forecast (Poor): precipitation potential 24%, sky cover 63%, relative humidity 98%, temperature 22C, wind SE 10 km

Mercurian Elongation
2025-10-29 17:45 - 19:15 | Burbank Soccer Complex, 12400 Burbank Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
NOAA has issued a Wind Advisory until 7pm.
Periodically, Mercury reaches its greatest angular separation in the sky (elongation) from the Sun. This is the safest way for amateurs to view Mercury. Come join us at the Burbank Soccer Complex! The planet will appear as a “half-Mercury”. The First Quarter Moon and Saturn will also be seen. [For ages six and older. Binocular recommended. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Very Good): precipitation potential 0%, sky cover 20%, relative humidity 60%, temperature 14C, wind NW 20 km

HRPO Costume Contest
2025-10-31 17:00 - 21:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Sunset, 6:25pm CDT
A space study institution open to the public on the creepiest evening of the year? What better time to invite old-timers and newcomers to this second try at a contest that mixes the realistic and fantastical. All family-friendly themes welcome! There will be some hot deals on classic Halloween stuff to tone down the chilly air. If you do not have a solar viewer yet, grab one as soon as we open so you can watch the solar disk set on Halloween night! From 6:58pm to 7:48pm, there may be up to sixteen visible passes of manmade objects! Viewing through LSU’s 20OGS will take place from 7:30pm to 9pm. [For ages six and older. Winners announced at later date. No admission fee. Solar viewers $2 each.]
Twilight Ends, 7:46pm CDT

Science Academy: "Surveying the Earth"
2025-11-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
The study of the big triumvirate (Earth, Sun and Moon) begins. Cadets will learn how precious our home and why it may cease to be humanity’s only home! [For ages eight to twelve. $5 per EBR-Parish Cadet; $6 per other-Parish Cadet.]
To register, go to www.brec.org, access the registration function and use Activity Number 331320.

Evening Sky Viewing
2025-11-01 19:30 - 22:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Sunset, 6:16pm CDT.
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing gibbous Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 57° in Pisces. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
Twilight Ends, 7:38pm CDT.
NOAA Forecast (Fair): precipitation potential 13%, sky cover 62%, relative humidity 78%, temperature 16C, wind NE 3 km

Supermoon Rising!
2025-11-04 17:45 - 19:15 | Highland Road Park Observatory
HRPO opens for the closest Supermoon in every calendar year that has one. The thrill comes from a combination of that actual closeness and the illusion that makes a Full Moon look closer still when it is near the horizon. Be part of the crowd to experience a Supermoon Rising! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Excellent): precipitation potential 0%, sky cover 2%, relative humidity 68%, temperature 18C, wind E 3 km

The Edge of Night
2025-11-07 16:45 - 18:45 | Highland Road Park Observatory
It’s not light. It’s not dark. It’s that special time called twilight and HRPO wants to introduce you to it! Are all sections of the sky the same shade of blue? Which stars are seen first? Are Mercury and Venus or the Moon out? Is that moving object a plane, a weather balloon, a satellite or debris in outer space? How much actual darkness should be expected in a light-polluted city when night has come? There is no other time like twilight. Bring it into your life! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Very Good): precipitation potential 0%, sky cover 15%, relative humidity 73%, temperature 26C, wind SW 8 km

Science Academy: "Planet, Star, Galaxy, Universe I"
2025-11-08 10:00 - 12:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Like all other human beings, Cadets are born knowing little about the Cosmos. They see the sunshine and night, the Moon and the stars and begin to wonder. The first major understanding is that the Earth is a home address! [For ages eight to twelve. $5 per EBR-Parish Cadet; $6 per other-Parish Cadet.]
To register, go to www.brec.org, access the registration function and use Activity Number 331320

Evening Sky Viewing
2025-11-08 19:30 - 22:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Due to the lack of a 20OGS operator, HRPO is closing at 9pm.
Sunset, 5:11pm CST. Twilight Ends, 6:34pm CST.
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning gibbous Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 20° in Gemini. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Good): precipitation potential 8%, sky cover 27%, relative humidity 94%, temperature 22C, wind SW 3 km

Baton Rouge Astronomical Society Meeting
2025-11-10 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
For over four decades the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society has educated countless numbers of citizens in the joys of planetary and deep-sky gazing, and factors to consider when buying a pair of binoculars or a telescope. Over the years BRAS members have constructed their own telescopes and photographic platforms; imaged comets; earned observing certificates; and discovered asteroids. Anyone interested in learning more about BRAS is invited to attend. [For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Solar Viewing
2025-11-14 10:15 - 13:15 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Weather permitting, viewing of the Sun’s image in four different manners (indirectly onto a white surface, directly with safely-filtered optical light, directly in hydrogen-alpha wavelength and directly in calcium-K wavelength) will take place. During this time the Sun will be in the constellation Libra at a maximum altitude of 41°. Protective clothing and sunscreen are recommended.
This special session of solar viewing is programmed due to the predicted increase in solar activity due to Solar Cycle 25. [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Excellent): precipitation potential 0%, sky cover 6%, relative humidity 69%, temperature 23C, wind SE 3 km/h

Friday Night Lecture Series: "The Shackleton Expedition"
2025-11-14 19:30 - 20:30 | Highland Road Park Observatory
The only continent never permanently settled, Antarctica is brutal to visitors. Ernest Shackleton and his crew experienced an astounding and terrifying adventure as their ship Endurance crossed the Arctic Circle just before the beginning of 1915. Amy Northrop speaks on one of the most courageous treks ever undertaken on planet Earth. [For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2025-11-14 19:30 - 22:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
HRPO will close at 9:45pm as NOAA’s Dense Fog Advisory begins at 10pm.
Sunset, 5:07pm CST. Twilight Ends, 6:31pm CST.
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning crescent Moon will be below the horizon. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Very Good): precipitation potential 0%, sky cover 16%, relative humidity 85%, temperature 18C, wind S 3 km

Science Academy: "Uranus and Neptune"
2025-11-15 10:00 - 12:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
The ice giants are the markers separating the relatively known from the mostly unknown. You need a binocular to see the former and a telescope to see the latter. Cadets will delve into these planetary systems. [For ages eight to twelve. $5 per EBR-Parish Cadet; $6 per other-Parish Cadet.]
To register, go to www.brec.org, access the registration function and use Activity Number 331320.

Plus Night: "Right Ascension 1"
2025-11-15 19:00 - 22:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Sunset: 5:07pm CST. Twilight Ends: 6:31pm CST.
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. There will also be physical science demonstrations, a marshmallow roast, a sky tour and a game for kids to earn small prizes. During this time the Last Quarter Moon will be below the horizon. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Excellent): precipitation potential 0%, sky cover 3%, relative humidity 84%, temperature 19C, wind SW 7 km

Natural Sky Conference
2025-11-21 16:30 - 21:30 | Highland Road Park Observatory
NOAA Forecast (Good): precipitation potential 8%, sky cover 29%, relative humidity 90%, temperature 24C, wind SW 6 km
Quite possibly the most important hours a stakeholder will spend at HRPO this year will be the networking gathering allowing the facility’s parents, BRAS members and LSU astronomy students to talk to those organizations in the area that have the greatest ability to curb light pollution. [Drinks. For ages twelve and older. No admission fee.]

Science Academy: "ISS Expedition 12"
2025-11-22 10:00 - 12:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
The International Space Station is one of the greatest engineering feats in human history. From September 2005 to April 2006, Bill McArthur and Valery Tokarev conducted experiments and did what few have done-–lived off the Earth. Cadets will build on the circuit board and sample the astronauts’ menu! [For ages eight to twelve. $5 per EBR-Parish Cadet; $6 per other-Parish Cadet.]
To register, go to www.brec.org, access the registration function and use Activity Number 331320.

Evening Sky Viewing
2025-11-22 19:30 - 22:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Sunset, 5:04pm CST. Twilight Ends, 6:29pm CST.
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing crescent Moon will be below the horizon. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Very Good): precipitation potential 2%, sky cover 26%, relative humidity 88%, temperature 22C, wind NW 3 km

Solar Viewing
2025-11-29 11:30 - 14:30 | Highland Road Park Observatory
NOAA Forecast (Good): precipitation potential 5%, sky cover 51%, relative humidity 66%, temperature 21C, wind SE 12 km
Weather permitting, viewing of the Sun’s image in four different manners (indirectly onto a white surface, directly with safely-filtered optical light, directly in hydrogen-alpha wavelength and directly in calcium-K wavelength) will take place. During this time the Sun will be in the constellation Scorpius at a maximum altitude of 38°. Protective clothing and sunscreen are recommended. [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

STEM Expansion: "Anatomy"
2025-11-29 14:30 - 18:30 | Highland Road Park Observatory

Evening Sky Viewing
2025-11-29 19:30 - 22:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Sunset, 5:03pm CST. Twilight Ends, 6:29pm CST.
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing gibbous Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 61° in Pisces. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Good): precipitation potential 6%, sky cover 28%, relative humidity 83%, temperature 17C, wind SE 8 km

Evening Sky Viewing
2025-12-05 20:30 - 22:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Cancelled. HRPO will close at 7pm.
Sunset, 5:03pm CST. Twilight Ends, 6:29pm CST.
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning gibbous Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 48° in Auriga. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Bad): precipitation potential 24%, sky cover 87%, relative humidity 97%, temperature 9C, wind NE 2 km

Science Academy: "Surveying the Moon"
2025-12-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
The study of the big triumvirate (Earth, Sun and Moon) continues. Cadets will learn how our only natural satellite (probably) originated, what it has and can do for us, and when we’ll return! [For ages eight to twelve. $5 per EBR-Parish Cadet; $6 per other-Parish Cadet.]
To register, go to www.brec.org, access the registration function and use Activity Number 431320.

Evening Sky Viewing
2025-12-06 19:30 - 22:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Cancelled.
Sunset, 5:03pm CST. Twilight Ends, 6:29pm CST.
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning gibbous Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 34° in Gemini. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Poor): precipitation potential 3%, sky cover 79%, relative humidity 100%, temperature 11C, wind SE 3 km

Friday Night Lecture Series: "Buying Skygazing Equipment"
2025-12-12 19:00 - 20:00
Telescopes, binoculars, planetarium programs, planispheres…mosquito spray. If you want to be a skygazer of action like Merrill Hess, he will guide you to the best tools. [Postponed from 5 December. For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Discussion: "Artificial Intelligence"
2025-12-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Highland Road Park Observatory
Many game-changing moments have occurred since HRPO’s last focus on AI–some astonishing, some alarming. This brief update is for any who want the latest information. [Postponed from 5 December. For ages twelve and older. No admission fee.]
