Friday Night Lecture Series: "The Mercury Astronauts"
2024-04-12 19:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Highland Road Park Observatory
It has been sixty-five years since NASA announced that Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, “Gus” Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and “Deke” Slayton would go where no American had ever gone. Mercury’s purpose was to determine the human capabilities in space. BREC Center Supervisor James DeOliveira will recount the story. [For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-04-12 19:30 - 20:30
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing crescent Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 43° in Taurus. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
<NOAA Forecast: precipitation potential, 0%; sky cover, 1%; relative humidity, 56%; temperature, 19C; wind NW 3 km/h. Danko forecast: transparency 3/5 (average); seeing 2/5 (poor). HRPO Assessment: Excellent.>

Science Academy: "The Periodic Table"
2024-04-13 10:00 - 12:00
Oxygen and carbon, silicon and uranium, neon and helium, silver and gold. Cadets will travel the rows and columns that describe the building blocks of everything! [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 531990.

Plus Night: "The Mystery Box"
2024-04-13 19:00 - 22:00
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 waxing crescent Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 74° in Auriga. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

Light Pollution Committee Meeting
2024-04-15 18:00 - 19:00, 2024-05-13 18:00 - 19:00
Are you a local skygazer, homeowner, business owner, science teacher or stakeholder interested reclaiming a natural sky above HRPO and its surrounding while simultaneously saving money and energy, and making driving safer? This meeting (open to the public) is a sounding board for real-life solutions to the light pollution problem. [For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Baton Rouge Astronomical Society Meeting
2024-04-15 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-05-13 19:00 - 21:00
For over four decades the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society has educated countless numbers of citizens in the joys of planetary and deep-sky gazing, the perils of light pollution 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; and 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.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-04-19 20:30 - 22:00
Tonight’s lecture, “Available Energies”, has been postponed until August.
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 65° in Leo. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

Science Academy: "Solar Maximum I"
2024-04-20 10:00 - 12:00
May and June of 2024 will see probably the great levels of sunspots, plage, flares and prominences for the next eight to fourteen years! Cadets will learn about Solar Cycle 25; sketch the Sun while viewing it in three different manners (include hydrogen-alpha wavelength); and gauge the influence on the solar wind on Earth’s atmosphere, Earth’s satellite and Earth’s climate. [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 531990.

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-04-20 19:30 - 22:00
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 56° in Virgo. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

Friday Night Lecture Series: "Unsettling Stories"
2024-04-26 19:30 - 20:30
As the cool and fog wind down to make way for the warmth of late spring, let’s retain some of that chill with a collection of STEM stories guaranteed to make your skygazing a little creepier. [For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-04-26 20:30 - 22:00
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning gibbous Moon will be below the horizon. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

Solar Viewing
2024-04-27 12:00 - 14:00
Weather permitting, viewing of the Sun’s image in three different manners (indirectly onto a white surface, directly with safely-filtered optical light and directly in hydrogen-alpha wavelength) will take place. During this time the Sun will be in the constellation Aries at a maximum altitude of 74°. Protective clothing and sunscreen are recommended. [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

STEM Expansion: "Aerospace Engineering I"
2024-04-27 15:30 - 19:30
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 531993. Deadline for online registration is 6pm the day (Friday) before.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-04-27 19:30 - 22:00
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning gibbous Moon will be below the horizon. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.

Friday Night Lecture Series: "Zodiac Dreams"
2024-05-03 19:30 - 20:30
What really is the Zodiac, and how many constellations does it have? Due to some news stories, internet videos and op-ed pieces you may be confused–but don’t worry. We’ll clear the air to show what people have thought about the Zodiac throughout the years, and what it all means to our culture and day-to-day life! [For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-05-03 20:30 - 22:00, 2024-05-04 19:30 - 22:00
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.]

Science Academy: "ISS Expedition 6"
2024-05-04 10:00 - 12:00
The International Space Station is one of the greatest engineering feats in human history. From November 2002 to May 2003 Ken Bowersox, Nikolai Budarin and Don Pettit 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 531990.

Solar Viewing
2024-05-10 12:00 - 14:00
Weather permitting, viewing of the Sun’s image in three different manners (indirectly onto a white surface, directly with safely-filtered optical light and directly in hydrogen-alpha wavelength) will take place. During this time the Sun will be in the constellation Aries at a maximum altitude of 78°. Protective clothing and sunscreen are recommended.
This special session of solar viewing is programmed due to the predicted peak of Solar Cycle 25.
[For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

Friday Night Lecture Series: "Apollo 10 Fifty-Fifth Anniversary"
2024-05-10 19:30 - 20:30
The Apollo 10 astronauts (Thomas Stafford, Eugene Cernan and John Young) tested all aspects of what would be the system to put us on the Moon–except the actual landing. Former BREC Center Supervisor Tom Northrop continues HRPO’s countdown to accomplishment of one of the greatest engineering and exploration goals in mankind’s history… [For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-05-10 20:30 - 22:00
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing crescent Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 28° in Taurus. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

Science Academy: "Amazing Alchemy"
2024-05-11 10:00 - 12:00
Ages ago, wizened attempted to turn lead into gold. Is it possible? Cadets will uncover the truth! [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 531990.

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-05-11 19:30 - 22:00
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing crescent Moon will be at a maximum altitude of 52° in Gemini. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

International Astronomy Day
2024-05-18 17:00 - 23:00
[The beginning of IAD has been postponed until 5pm. Please read the schedule carefully as different activities start at different times…International Astronomy Day – Highland Road Park Observatory (lsu.edu)]
The greatest IAD event in the region returns! Once again expected exhibitors include the Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club, the Baton Rouge Gem and Mineral Society, the Baton Rouge Geological Society, the Baton Rouge Zoo, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, BREC’s Art Program, the Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, the EBR Library Bookmobile and EBR Mosquito Abatement! Pink See-Through Fantasia will supply the music! A Scope-on-a-Rope session, a deep-sky tour and a lunar tour will take place. The large 20OGS scope opens from 7:30pm to 9:30pm and physical science demonstrations begin at 8pm! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]

Friday Night Lecture Series: "Hephaestus One"
2024-05-24 19:30 - 20:30
Originally presenting these visuals as a portion of a thesis defense, Francis Dinh will ask the audience “if beauty can exist on the Moon through architecture”. This event will be the first of its kind for HRPO’s public. [For ages fourteen and older. No admission fee.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-05-24 19:30 - 22:00
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 5° in Ophiuchus. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving. Drive slowly! [For ages six and older. No admission fee.]
NOAA Forecast (Very Good): precipitation potential 1%, sky cover 11%, relative humidity 77%, temperature 27C, heat index 30C, wind S 8 km/hr. Operator: Colin Turley of LSU.

STEM Expansion: "Aerospace Engineering II"
2024-05-25 15:30 - 19:30
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 531993. Deadline for online registration is 6pm the day (Friday) before. Participation in Part I is not a prerequisite.]

Evening Sky Viewing
2024-05-25 19:30 - 22:00
Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning gibbous 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 70%, temperature 29C, heat index 33C, wind S 10 km/hr. Operator: Judah Santiago of BREC. Due to Daylight Time, celestial objects may not be available until 8:30pm.
