The Museum of Science eveng Where to see the transit of Venus in the Boston area:
- Cambridge, MA – Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
- Norfolk MA – Mass Audubon’s Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
- Boston, MA – Museum of Science, Boston: sold out
- McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center – 2 Institute Dr. Concord, NH
- Waltham
- BU
In related news
The Milky Way’s quiet black hole wasn’t always that way, according to a new study out of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).
Artist's conception of edge on view of Milky Way galaxy: CfA image
As galaxies go, our Milky Way is pretty quiet. Active galaxies have cores that glow brightly, powered by supermassive black holes swallowing material, and often spit twin jets in opposite directions. In contrast, the Milky Way’s center shows little activity. But it wasn’t always so peaceful. New evidence of ghostly gamma-ray beams suggests that the Milky Way’s central black hole was much more active in the past.
While some scientific programs are just now exploring ways to get the public involved; this center and other Boston observatories have been at it for a while. The CfA offers a range of programs, including this one:
MicroObservatory is a network of automated telescopes that can be controlled over the Internet. The telescopes were developed by scientists and educators at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and were designed to enable youth nationwide to investigate the wonders of the deep sky from their classrooms or after-school centers.
The center also offers monthly observatory nights for the public.
The Public Open Night at the Observatory is a chance for people to come observe the night sky through telescopes and binoculars and see things they otherwise might not get to see, and learn some astronomy as well. The Open Nights are held most Wednesday evenings throughout the year, weather permitting.
The MIT Observatory hosts the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston. However, because of renovations, the lab’s open houses events have been cancelled temporarily.