March 11, 2013
Learn and view some of space’s stars, planets, nebulae and galaxies on the second Thursday of each month at the Franklin Institute’s Joel N. Bloom Observatory. Night Skies in the Observatory will be led by the Franklin Institute’s Chief Astronomer, Derrick Pitts on the second Thursday of each month. Check out the March event on [...]
Read more»December 6, 2012
Events as exclusive as this one are normally only open for members of The Franklin Institute, but this weekend they are extending this cool astronomical event to all. Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts, who has been seen on The Colbert Report and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, will be hosting two special workshops on [...]
Read more»September 26, 2012
Update: Due to projected inclement weather, Planetarium on the Parkway has been rescheduled for Friday, October 12. The Franklin Institute is kicking their popular “Night Skies In The Observatory” series up a notch with a special edition in conjunction with Open Air. On Tuesday, October 2 at 8:30 p.m., the Franklin Institute’s Chief Astronomer (and [...]
Read more»August 30, 2012
On Thursday, September 13 from 7-10 p.m., you’ll have the opportunity to take part in the Franklin Institute’s excellent “Night Skies In The Observatory” event series. Hosted by Chief Astronomer at The Franklin Institute, Derrick Pitts, the event keeps the Joel N. Bloom Observatory open late to the public and offers five different telescopes for [...]
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Watch today’s Philly 101 video to meet one of Philadelphia’s beloved public figures, Derrick Pitts, the Chief Astronomer at the Franklin Institute.
The Franklin Institute’s Joel N. Bloom Observatory, operated and maintained by Pitts and his staff, treats visitors to day and nighttime viewing with its 10-inch Zeiss refractor and four Celestron CPC 800 GPS Computerized Telescopes. The instruments provide visitors with views of most planets and bright stars, several star clusters and nebulae and even a few galaxies.
It is also one of a handful of observatories in the whole country to provide optically safe, real-time direct observation of solar activity. Pretty cool.
Meet Derrick and find out what he wishes more people knew about in Philadelphia, and why.
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Watch today’s Philly 101 video to meet one of Philadelphia’s beloved public figures, Derrick Pitts, the Chief Astronomer at the Franklin Institute. The Franklin Institute’s Joel N. Bloom Observatory, operated and maintained by Pitts and his staff, treats visitors to day and nighttime viewing with its 10-inch Zeiss refractor and four Celestron CPC 800 GPS [...]
Read more»January 30, 2012
The Franklin Institute got some serious national air time on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend. The subject of the segment was automatons, writing- and drawing-capable robots from the late 1700s or “mechanical marvels from a time gone by,” recently brought to the forefront of popular culture thanks to the bestselling children’s novel The Invention [...]
Read more»July 14, 2011
The Franklin Institute continues its Night Skies in the Observatory series tonight, July 14, with a “Ben in Space”-themed event in honor of NASA’s final space shuttle flight this week. Bonus: the gorgeous weather today is going to lead into more beautiful weather tonight perfect for stargazing. The evening is hosted by Chief Astronomer at [...]
Read more»August 12, 2010
On the second Thursday night of every month, the Joel N. Bloom Observatory at the Franklin Institute is open late to the public and offers five different telescopes for you to view celestial objects in the sky, including stars, planets, nebulae, and if conditions are right, a galaxy or two. This month’s “Night Skies in [...]
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