Every spring, as the Milky Way's dusty band sinks below the horizon, a remarkable window opens up — one that lets us peer far beyond our own galaxy into a vast sea of other worlds. The constellation Virgo and its neighbors host one of the largest concentrations of galaxies visible from Earth, and May is the ideal month to find them. We'll take a guided tour of the spring constellations, learn how to spot the famous Virgo Cluster, and discover why seasoned observers circle "galaxy season" on their calendars every year. 

Class level: Introductory - This class is recommended for guests of any background.

Tickets: Non-members $25/class, Members $20/class, Student (with valid ID) $10/class

Image credit: Fernando Pena

For a fraction of a second — or maybe a few minutes — a gamma-ray burst can outshine everything else in the observable universe combined. These staggering explosions were one of astronomy's greatest mysteries when first discovered, and even today they're keeping scientists up at night. We'll explore what causes these cosmic detonations, how astronomers detect them across billions of light-years, and what the latest observations from JWST are teaching us about the universe's most extreme events.

Class level: Introductory - This class is recommended for guests of any background.

Tickets:  Non-members - $25/class, Members - $20/class, Student (with valid ID) - $10/class