Beehive Cluster. Photo courtesy of NASA.

Note: Due to inclement weather, this event has been canceled.

The public is invited to view the Beehive Cluster, an open star cluster in the constellation Cancer, through Missouri University of Science and Technology’s 16-inch telescope in April.

The Missouri S&T observatory will open its doors at 9 p.m. Monday, April 11. The sky must be clear for observing and the session length will vary.

Viewings at the observatory are free of charge and no reservations are required. Each observing session is open-ended. Children are welcome to attend but must be accompanied by an adult. All visitors must be able to ascend a short set of stairs in order to use the telescope.

One of the nearest clusters to our solar system, the Beehive Cluster is also sometimes called “Praesepe,”which is Latin for manger. Since the cluster is visible to the naked eye under dark skies, it has been studied since ancient times. It was among the first objects that astronomer Galileo Galilei studied with his telescope. The cluster is thought to be about 600 million years old.

This is the last scheduled Visitor’s Night this semester. All viewings are subject to weather conditions.

Built in 1973, the Missouri S&T Observatory is located at 1550 N. Bishop Ave. (Highway 63 North), adjacent to the university’s Stonehenge replica, north of McNutt Hall and west of St. Patrick’s Lane.

For more information, or to have your email address added to an event notification mailing list for future updates and weather cancellation notices, contact Ken Goss by email at krgvx4@mst.edu.