April 24, 2008
Celebrate Astronomy Week With Visit to State’s Celestial Experiences
HARRISBURG --As home to the darkest skies in the Northeast and several world-class planetariums, Pennsylvania is the ideal destination to celebrate Astronomy Week, May 5 – 11.

“Many Pennsylvania visitors create some of their fondest vacation memories simply by enjoying our night skies,” said Mickey Rowley, deputy secretary of tourism in the Department of Community and Economic Development. “Whether visitors are camping, hiking or delving into one of our great museums, they will find unlimited opportunities to learn more about the universe.”

There is perhaps no better place for stargazing and expanding one’s knowledge of astronomy than in the pitch-black skies of Cherry Springs State Park near Galeton, Potter County, located in the Pennsylvania Wilds. The park is known for having the darkest skies in the Northeast. It has an Astronomy Field atop a 2,300-foot mountain that offers a 360-degree view of the night sky, surrounded by black cherry trees. For more information about Cherry Springs or any other state park, visit www.visitPAparks.com. 

Visitors can discover the wonders of the solar system and take a grand tour of the universe at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, where the “Ultimate Universe” planetarium show is a journey from the edge of the universe through space and time to reach our home planet. The show runs now through May 31 and more information is available at www.statemuseumpa.org. 

Get a view of the lunar surface like never before with a visit to the Buhl Observatory Skywatch at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center. In addition to detailed views of the moon, the observatory’s telescope can connect visitors with Jupiter’s clouds and Saturn’s rings. To learn more about the Buhl Observatory, visit www.carnegiesciencecenter.org. 

To learn what astronauts experience in the great unknown, don’t miss “Space Command” at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Guests can visit a research station and check out equipment used by astronauts. Those looking to visit the institute should visit www.fi.edu. 

Additional planetariums open to the public across the commonwealth include:
  • Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society, Allentown, www.lvaas.net; 
  • Reading Public Museum, www.readingpublicmuseum.org; 
  • The North Museum of Natural History and Science, Lancaster, www.northmuseum.org;  and
  • The Erie Planetarium, www.eriecountyhistory.org. 

    The Pennsylvania Tourism Office, under the state Department of Community and Economic Development, provides travelers with the information and resources they need to plan and enjoy the activities, attractions and destinations that are uniquely Pennsylvania. For more information about Pennsylvania’s tourism industry, go to www.visitPA.com or call (800) VISIT PA.


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