The public is invited to view a grouping of stars called the Wild Duck cluster through Missouri University of Science and Technology’s 16-inch-wide telescope on Thursday, Oct. 19.

The Missouri S&T Observatory will open its doors at 8 p.m. for the viewing. 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.

The Wild Duck Cluster, which is one of the richest and most compact of the known open clusters, contains about 2,900 stars. Its name is derived from the brighter stars that form a triangle, which could resemble a flying flock of geese or, from other angles, a single swimming duck.

This is the third scheduled Visitors’ Night this semester. The next Visitors’ Night is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24. 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 Missouri S&T graduate student Ken Goss by email at ken.goss@mst.edu.