FORT SCOTT — The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes is hosting a star party Saturday evening.
Armed with a grant from the Fort Scott Community Foundation, the Milken Center recently acquired a Celestron NexStar 8SE fully automated telescope capable of locating and tracking 40,000 celestial objects.
The evening will start at 7 p.m. in the Lowell Milken Unsung Hero Park with a short program about Henrietta Swan Leavitt, an early 20th century astronomer whose work led scientists to more accurately determine the distances between faraway galaxies.
From there, the fun moves inside the museum for a talk by NASA Ambassador Jamie Davis on the Webb Telescope and its findings.
Refreshments will be available before participants go to the parade grounds at Fort Scott National Historic Site to use the telescope for the first time with an evening of stargazing.
Additional telescopes will be set up as well.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and flashlight, and are reminded to dress for the weather.
