The Moon and its Craters at
Arunah Hill Days in the Hilltowns

The Arunah Hill Natural Science Center in Cummington, MA will host a family-oriented weekend of astronomy, star gazing, nature walks, and science education on Labor Day weekend, Aug 31 – Sept 2, 2012. Several large telescopes will be available for nightly viewing of the moon, double stars, galaxies, star clusters, and other wonders of the Summer Milky Way. Experienced amateur astronomers will conduct nightly “planetarium show” under the real sky, using green lasers to orient and identify constellations for observers. — All events are free and open to the public.  Novice stargazers welcome. Evening talks are suitable for children 10 and older.  Saturday family activities begin at noon and are suitable for all ages.

Spend Labor Day weekend exploring and learning all about stars, constellations, and other out-of-this-world phenomenon. Arunah Hill Days in Cummington, MA offers a plethora of activities for families curious about astronomy (or just in search of a good adventure)! The event takes place between Friday, August 31st and Monday, September 3rd.

During the day on Saturday, Sept 1st starting at 12noon, families can participate in nature walks of the grounds at Arunah, try their hand at navigation during a GPS treasure hunt, and construct and launch their own miniature rockets!

Evening activities include guest speakers (best for older students) who will address a wide variety of topics – from the history of telescope making to the uniqueness of the planet Mercury – as well as a chance to view the sky through some of the many different types of telescopes offered for use by master stargazers, and families can even learn to locate and identify stars and constellations. Detailed information on guest speakers is available here.

Each night following evening talks, there will be post-stargazing showings of hilarious (but terribly filmed) sci-fi movies during their “Really Bad SciFi Theater” screened in the pavilion. Limited camping is available for families who wish to sleep under the stars after learning about them!

Arunah Hill is located at 218 Trouble Street in Cummington, MA. Here are directions:

From Pioneer Valley: Route 9 West, 27 miles to Windsor Town Line. Left at Worthington-Peru to Route 143 Sign. From the Worthington-Peru Sign. 3 miles to Cummington-Worthington Town Line. Left on Trouble Street, Arunah Hill Entrance is 1/2 mile on left.

From Berkshires: Route 9 East, 19 miles to Windsor. Right at Worthington-Peru to Route 143 Sign. From the Worthington-Peru Sign. 3 miles to Cummington-Worthington Town Line. Left on Trouble Street, Arunah Hill Entrance is 1/2 mile on left.

For more information call 413-569-6336.