Raj Pandya will be replacing Amy Donnelly as SUNY New Paltz’s Planetarium Director.
Anyone who holds regular events at the planetarium is advised to contact Pandya at pandyar@newpaltz.edu or (845) 257-3818 in order to ease the transition.
With the introduction of Pandya to the position, the Astronomy Night program will undergo some changes. Astronomy Night will now be on the first and third Thursdays of every month. These dates include Sept. 15, Oct. 6 and 20, Nov. 3 and 17 and Dec. 1 and 15. On these days, Pandya will present a planetarium show; rain or shine. From now until the end of October, the shows will take place from 7:30-8:30 p.m., while the observatory telescope viewing will go from 8:30-10:30 p.m. These times will be earlier in the winter to ensure successful telescope viewing.
The Smolen Observatory will only be open if the sky is clear. To check the weather status, visitors can contact the observatory at (845) 257-1110.
All Astronomy Night events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/observatory/ orhttp://www.newpaltz.edu/planetarium/.