Credit: Dexter Southfield Clay Center
Dexter Southfield invites the public for viewings at the Clay Center Observatory. Public Telescope Nights are held on Tuesday evenings, weather permitting. The telescope will point toward a variety of planets, the Moon and stars. Visitors can also enjoy a panoramic view of greater Boston from the observation decks and walk among the constellations on the stars court.
On certain nights, the roof deck will be open and smaller telescopes made available for the public to control. An astronomer will point out constellations that can be viewed with the naked eye. On most nights, the fiber-optic lit Stars Court is open.
Admissions
Advanced registration is required. Public Telescope Nights will not be available during evenings with rainy or overcast weather. The dome cannot be opened if the weather has been overcast and/or there is high humidity. Visitors can call the recorded hotline at 617.751.3409 one hour prior to the event.
Children are welcome and must be supervised by parents or adult caregivers.
Directions and Parking
The entrance to the school is located on St. Paul’s Avenue from Newton Street (opposite Larz Anderson Park). Clay Center visitors should bear left up the hill and park in the lot opposite the Clay Center Lobby entrance.