Join Dr. Lionel Crews from the University of Tennessee at Martin Astronomy Department and the Discovery Park education team on Wednesday, Jan. 15, for the first informative Astronomy Night of the new year. Beginning at 8:30 p.m., this chilly January evening will be the best time of the year to view the planet Mars. Learn about planetary opposition and take advantage of one of Discovery Park’s most powerful telescopes to see the red planet. Other visibilities will include Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Stargazing will last until 10:30 p.m.

Guests will enter through the south gate. This free event will take place next to Hobb’s Drug Store, outside in the Liberty Square area of our Heritage Park. It will be a chilly night so be sure to bundle up.

Younger guests are always welcome to join their families on Astronomy Night at Discovery Park. Activity tables will be available inside Hobb’s Drug Store for all to participate in fun, educational content. This month, we will utilize our engineering skills to design our very own Mars rover out of only pencils, rubber bands and cardboard. 

Dr. Lionel Crews, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics at UT-Martin

Passport to the Universe  

This month, we will also introduce an exciting new addition to our astronomy programming. In the 2025 calendar year, Discovery Park will host nine Astronomy Night events. Anyone who attends five or more of these events and completes our special training will receive a unique patch to commemorate the year’s astronomical events.