Chabot Space & Science Center has brought back their free telescope viewings, plus new exhibitions and more!
Make sure to put Oakland’s Chabot Space & Science Center on your radar, as they’ve just brought back their free telescope viewings! Every weekend, visitors may explore the stars through Chabot’s historic telescopes, free of charge. Weather permitting, the viewings happen from 7:30-10:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
You can join Chabot astronomers on the Observatory Deck, which sits 1,500 feet above the Bay with spectacular views of land, sea, and sky. It holds three different observatory domes with three different telescopes.
The first telescope is Leah, an 8-inch Alvan Clark refractor from 1883, which was the first instrument donated by observatory founder Anthony Chabot. There’s also Rachel, a 20-inch refractor telescope from 1916, which is the largest of its kind regularly available to the public in the western US. The most powerful telescope, Nellie, has 180-degree access to the sky. Viewings are available weather permitting, and you can stay up-to-date with the conservatory’s own weather station.
The space center has also brought some new exhibitions and improvements. They include the hands-on NASA Experience, which takes you through real stories of discovery; renovations to the museum, courtyard, and signage; new activities and demonstrations by Teen Galaxy Explorers; and new murals in the Spees Building.
Be sure to take a look at First Fridays, which brings different themed experience to the observatory every month. The next one is March 4’s Into the Redwoods, a close look at the flora and fauna of redwood forests.
Chabot is home to a full dome planetarium, a museum with interactive exhibits, space artifacts, a Challenger learning center, and much more. General admission costs $24 for adults and $19 for youth, students, and seniors. Visitors over 12 must present proof of vaccination, and visitors over 18 must also present a valid photo ID.
Find Chabot Space & Science Center at 10000 Skyline Blvd in Oakland.
Featured image: Chabot Space and Science Center Tales of the Maya Skies gala – Oakland, CA, USA. Courtesy of Chabot Space & Science Center.