Watch the Night Skies at Montgomery County College's Observatory

BLUE BELL, PA -- The public is invited to come to Montgomery County Community College’s free community nights in its Observatory and Observation Deck, the school announced.

The College will hold six community observatory sessions during 2016-17. In the fall, observatory nights are scheduled for 8 to 10 p.m.on Sept. 19, Oct. 17 and Nov. 14. In the spring, observatory nights are scheduled on Feb. 13, March 13 and April 10, the schools aid.

The Observatory and Observation Deck are features of the College’s 60,000 square-foot Advanced Technology Center. The Observatory features a 16-inch MEADE Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, according to MCCC.

All of the instruments are controllable both in the classroom as well as in the Observatory itself. Through a fiber network, images can be downloaded for further study and comparison and can be used in online courses, a press release states.

Community nights are free of charge and are open to the public, and astronomy clubs and scout troops are welcome. The Observatory is located on the third floor of the College’s Advanced Technology Center, Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

The observatory sessions are subject to weather conditions—if weather is questionable, call the Observatory hotline, 215-641-6460, an hour before the event for information about any possible cancellation.

Image via Mary Aloysia Hardey Observatory at the Convent of the Sacred Heart. 2012-01-15.