EASTON, Pa. — Calling all astronomy enthusiasts.
Easton’s Nurture Nature Center is on the lookout for anyone with an interest in skywatching, starting with this weekend’s first Hubble Night Sky Observing Challenge.
Each month throughout 2025, the Nurture Nature Center will host the challenge, which welcomes visitors to explore the night sky with the assistance of star-finder charts and the expertise of the center’s staff.
Throughout the year, participants will have a chance to see the incredible nebulae and galaxies Hubble has observed over its 3 1/2 decades.
"You don't have to have a lot of experience viewing the night sky, we will help you. We are trying to just get as many people as we can to participate and start looking at the sky if they haven't.”Nurture Nature Center Science Director Kathryn Semmens
On top of the educational opportunity, observers also will receive recognition for joining in the activity.
“It's for all ages, all experience levels," Nurture Nature Center Science Director Kathryn Semmens said. "You don't have to have a lot of experience viewing the night sky, we will help you.
"We are trying to just get as many people as we can to participate and start looking at the sky if they haven't.”
Semmens said she hopes the event will attract “the full range, maybe some [people] who are already pros, but we want to attract new people who may not have done it before.”
The event will start 4-5 p.m. today, Jan. 4, at the Nurture Nature Center, at 518 Northampton St., Easton, and continue at the same time on the first Saturday of every month.
Those interested in participating can sign up for the event online.
Picking targets
The event is the product of Hubble working alongside The Astronomical League, offering up two levels of challenges.
There’s no need to be part of the league to participate, but joining offers benefits for budding and expert stargazers alike.
NASA said some brighter targets will be visible through binoculars and smaller telescopes but recommends participants use a telescope at least 6 inches in diameter to get the best experience.
NASA also advises participants that their own experiences exploring the stars will be a bit different from Hubble’s photographs because of a blurring effect produced by the earth’s atmosphere.
Each month in the program will feature two lists — for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres — and targets organized by their catalog.
Target groups that begin with an “M” are from the Messier catalog, and targets that start with “C” fall under the Caldwell catalog.
Once a visitor has landed on the page, he or she can easily find any object they would like to locate, which will direct them to a page providing detailed information about that target, including a chart to locate it in the sky.
For January, targets will include the Orion Nebula, the Crab Nebula, DeMairan’s Nebula, M78, M79, and C46: Hubble’s Variable Nebula in the Northern Hemisphere.
History of the Hubble
“We're really excited," Semmens said. "If participants are not able to make it this Saturday, we'll have programs the first Saturday of every month, so that they can come when it works for them.
"And then we'll also provide a virtual option, so if someone can't make it, we have a recording and a packet that we'll send to them so they can still get the information, even if they're not able to come in person."
Named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, the telescope was funded and built in the 1970s, and finally launched April 24, 1990. It officially entered service on May 20, 1990.
Over its time, the Hubble, which is the only telescope designed to be maintained in space by astronauts, saw five space shuttle missions that led to upgrades, repairs and replacements.
The telescope’s 7-foot, 10-inch mirror and five main instruments let it observe the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
It has captured countless images over its lifetime.
Officials expect Hubble to last until 2030 or 2040.
