AstroFriday

October Viewing:

Join SJC Planetarium for our AstroFriday presentation of “The Astronomy of Harry Potter,” a live sky show and tour of the heavens, identifying astronomical objects whose names appear in the popular Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling and corresponding movies! Did you know that the character of Sirius Black (Harry’s godfather in the series) was named for the brightest star in the night sky as seen from Earth? And that it is also the chief star in the constellation of the Great Dog (i.e. – the animal that Sirius could shapeshift into in the stories)?! He isn’t the only character with an astronomical name…! You will learn MANY of the characters’ names in the series which have astronomical origins, as well as learn to locate them in the real sky with your own eyes! They will also give out spring sky maps while supplies last!

Weather permitting, a free public stargaze will follow at 8:30 p.m. in the courtyard behind the Planetarium. Lasting up to one hour, the stargaze has no capacity limit and will feature a variety of spectacular deep-sky sights.

Dominating the viewing will be the waxing Gibbous Moon and spectacular Saturn. Binary star targets for the evening feature the gold and blue Albireo, the double orange stars of 61 Cygni, Bessel’s Star in the Northern Cross and the binary north star, Polaris. If weather conditions are particularly favorable, there might be a chance to see deep-sky objects as the globular cluster M13 in Hercules, the ghostly Ring Nebula M57 in Lyra, the star-studded Wild Duck Cluster M11 in Aquila and the Dumbbell Nebula M27 in Cygnus. There might even be a chance to glimpse M31, the Andromeda Galaxy!

For more information, visit the SJC Planetarium Facebook page at facebook.com/sanjuancollegeplanetarium, call 505-566-3361 or email mayeuxd@sanjuancollege.edu.

2026-2027 AstroFriday Schedule

• October 16 - The Astronomy of Harry Potter
• November 13 - From Earth to the Universe (fulldome)
• December 5 - Luminaria Stargaze
• December 11 - The Star of Bethlehem
• January 15 - Navajo Skies (fulldome)
• February 12 - Tour of Mars
• March 5 - Living Worlds (fulldome)
• April 9 - Cosmology (fulldome)
• May 7 - Solar Quest (fulldome) - showtimes: 7:30 & 8:30 with stargaze at 9:30

Helpful Info

We hope you enjoy the many things there are to see and do in the Farmington area!  Start exploring today with these helpful links:

Order your Free Vacation Guide 
Where to Stay 
Where to Dine 
Where to Shop 
Where to Play