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Children and adults can stare at stars on 2 separate occasions
Telescopes in the Park, Stars Over Elachee set for April 9 and 16, respectively
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Children and adults can stare up at the night sky and discover the wonders of outer space during the Stars Over Elachee event Saturday, April 16, at Elachee Nature Science Center in Gainesville. But for those who don’t want to wait a week, they can attend the Telescopes in the Park on Saturday, April 9, at Sardis Park in Gainesville.

Many eyes will be on the nighttime skies over the next two weekends.

First will be Yuri’s Night 2016.

Fifty-five years ago, the then-Soviet Union space program launched into space cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, giving him the honor of being the first person to orbit Earth.

To celebrate that human milestone, all outer space enthusiasts may attend the Telescopes in the Park on Saturday, April 9, at Sardis Creek Park in Gainesville.

Three telescopes will be available for public use beginning at 8:15 p.m. and ending at 9:45 p.m. on Antioch Church Road near Chestatee Middle and Chestatee High schools. Viewers may use the telescopes to observe Jupiter, the moon and other astronomical objects, according to a news release.

The free event is sponsored by the Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers and hosted by retired astronomy teacher Frank Lock.

For more information about Yuri’s Night 2016, visit yurisnight.net.

For information about the Gainesville event, email lockphys@gmail.com or call 941-475-1578.

The second event will be the Stars Over Elachee program at the nature science center in Gainesville.

The event will be from 7:45-9:45 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at 2125 Elachee Drive.

Participants can see Jupiter the way Galileo did during a hands-on telescope workshop. They will learn how a telescope works and how to set one up. Then they will use one of eight 6-inch Dobsonian telescopes to tour the moon, planets, stars and constellations.

Reservations are required. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children younger than 12. Elachee members may enter for free.

The nighttime event is recommended for ages 8 and older.

For more information, call Elachee Nature Science Center at 770-535-1976 or visit www.elachee.org.