Florida Museum to host astronomy night

Tonight, visitors of the Florida Museum of Natural History can see the stars up close.

From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the museum is hosting Starry Night, an astronomy-themed event that will include a telescope clinic, during which people who own telescopes can learn more about them, and interactive activities like children’s games and 3-D planetariums.

Chelsea Collison, the museum educator, said the main purpose of the event is to make astronomy more accessible to the public.

“A lot of people buy telescopes and don’t know how to work them,” Collison said. “This is an opportunity for them to speak with someone about it.”

Co-hosts of the Public Broadcasting Service show “Star Gazers” James Albury and Dean Regas will speak and meet with attendees during the event.

Vicki Sarajedini, a professor in the UF Department of Astronomy, said Cathy Olkin, a deputy project scientist for NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto, will also be speaking at the event.

“We have no pictures of anything that far out and that close up,” Sarajedini said. “Having someone come out and describing what we learn from this will be cool.”

Celine Sanchez, a UF chemical engineering freshman, said she is excited for the telescope exhibit at the event.

“The night sky is always changing, so it’s always nice to come out and look at the sky,” the 18-year-old said. “You never know enough about space.”