In celebration of national Astronomy Day, the public can come enjoy the night sky at Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park on Saturday April 25. Sponsored by Missouri State Parks, the evening will kick off at 7 p.m. with a "virtual tour" of the Earth’s orbit at the park’s visitor center.
At 8 p.m., a member of the St. Louis Astronomical Society will set up telescopes at the monument area for viewing the sky. Society members will offer instructions on how to identify the North Star and constellations such as the Big Dipper, Lea the lion, Corvus the crow and Hydra the snake. The moon, Jupiter, and Venus will also be viewed.
This event is scheduled three days after the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower. Lyrids are left over material from the Comet C/1861 and guests have the potential to see up to five meteors per hour. The public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, binoculars and telescopes.
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park is located 20 miles west of St. Louis on Highway BA, between U.S. 40 and Highway 100. For more information about the event, call the park at 636-458-3813. For information about state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.