Welcome to the Custer Institute & Observatory
Long Island's oldest public observatory (est. 1927)
Suggested donation of $5 adults and $3 children.
All observing is done out in the open air, under the stars. Dress appropriately.
For the Curious
The Custer Institute and Observatory is Long Island's oldest public observatory (est.1927). Open to the public every Saturday evening from dusk until midnight, our staff of volunteers will give you a tour of the facilities and the night sky through our powerful telescopes. Custer has a library, museum, and gift shop. Frequent lectures, classes,concerts, art exhibits and other special events.
Custer Links
- Visit & Contact
- Membership Information
- Member Nights
- Our Equipment
- Custer History
- Radio Astronomy
- Music Project
- Eclipses and Transits
- Meteor Showers
- Custer Maker Space
- News & Resources
Updated: 07/16/Two Thousand Eighteen
Saturday Night Observing: Open 7pm-Midnight
Check our weather and the moon phase
Weather permitting, Saturday Night Observing is from 7pm to midnight where volunteer Staff provide guided tours of the sky.
| 2 Summer Events with our Friends! | |
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Announcing the Southold Indian Museum SPECIAL EXHIBIT, Sundays in July & August! Revolutionary War on Long Island: The Native American Perspective Their exhibit will focus on interactions between Long Island Native American tribes and the British Army and Colonial Army during the Revolutionary War. These interactions took the form of alignments, trading, and possibly seizure of goods and services by the British. Stop by the Museum on Sunday afternoons in July and August to see this exhibit as well as our other unique items on display. While you are at the Museum you can see the latest additions to our gift shop and sign up to be a member. Thank you for your support! Southold Indian Museum PO Box 268 1080 Main Bayview Rd Southold NY 11971 indianmuseum@optonline.net 631-765-5577 |
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Summer Sundays at Brookhaven Lab! Experience hands-on discovery Meet the scientists Visit our world-class facilities Enjoy science talks & shows Gates open 10am to 3pm Handicapped accessible 1.5 miles north of LIE Exit 68 (631) 344-2651 Sunday, July 22 Exploring the Ultra Small Tour the Center for Functional Nanomaterials. Sunday, July 29 Brilliant Light, Dazzling Discoveries Visit the National Synchrotron Light Source II. Sunday, August 5 Atom-smashing Fun* Explore the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. *Facility tour appropriate for ages 10 and over. |
| July 2018 | |
| Saturday 21 | 7:00pm - 10:00pm. STEINWAY AND STARGAZING featuring THE NOFO TRIO This musical program is the third in the Steinway & Stargazing series to benefit the Custer Observatory's Music Project. Following the concert and reception will be a private evening of stargazing (weather permitting) through the Custer Observatory's powerful telescopes and guided by Observatory staff. Piece en Forme de Habanera - Maurice Ravel Song Without Words - Felix Mendelssohn Nocturne - Lili Boulanger Sonata No. 5 in e minor - Antonio Vivaldi Sonata in D Minor, K. 517 - Domenico Scarlatti Impromptu No. 2 in F Sharp Major, Op. 36 - Frederic Chopin An after concert reception follows the concert with wine tasting and passed hors d'oeuvres by Grace & Grit Catering. Stargazing at nightfall. local farm vegetables with green goddess sauce and caramelized onion dip bacon bites gazpacho shooters caprese skewer with fresh mozzarella and basil salmon tartar on edible spoons smoked pulled pork sliders Tickets: $75 in advance / $95 at the door  |
| Sunday 22 | 2:00pm - 5:00pm. STEINWAY & STARGAZING featuring ELLEN JOHANSEN. This musical program is the fourth in the Steinway & Stargazing series to benefit the Custer Observatory's Music Project. Following the concert and reception will be a private afternoon of solar stargazing (weather permitting) through the Custer Observatory's telescopes and guided by Observatory staff. An Afternoon of Musical Contrasts Prelude and Fugue in A Minor - J.S. Bach Il Lamento - Franz Liszt Fantasy Etudes for Solo Piano - John Corigliano Grande Valse Brillante, Opus 34, No. 1 - Frédéric Chopin Sonate Opus 1 - Alban Berg Sonata in D Major - Herbert Rothgarber An after concert reception follows the concert with mimosas and appetizers. Solar observing will begin concurrently. Tickets: $55 in advance / $65 at the door |
| Friday 27 | Members' Night: Last Friday each month. No public tours! A Members-Only (and their guests) evening for mingling, observing, enjoying the observatory and its resources, discussing Custer's present and planning its future together. Coordinated through the Custer Member's Yahoo Group. Members check there for updates. |
| August 2018 | |
| Saturday, 11 | 7:00pm Perseid Meteor Shower! A presentation with Bob Farrell followed by observing Perseus is one of the most ancient constellations in the sky. Come to hear this hero’s tale, meet his nemesis the Gorgon called Medusa, and learn why stones fall from the sky each August. His legend will be told and the reason why we’ve named a meteor shower after him will be explained. Then, if it is clear, witness the Perseid meteor shower for yourself from Custer's south lawn. Following the presentation and weather-permitting, you will get to observe galaxies, nebulae, and perhaps a planet or two through Custer's telescopes. Feel free to bring and set up yours if you have one. To observe the meteor shower, no telescope is ever used. All you need is what you would bring to watch a firework show - so feel free to bring blankets, lawn chairs, snacks, and bug spray to make yourself comfortable on Custer's lawn. Just lay back and look up! How many will you count? |
| 18 | 7:00pm - 10:00pm. STEINWAY & STARGAZING featuring STEVEN LEONARD MESSINA and THAD DEBROCK of BLOW UP HOLLYWOOD. This musical program is the final installment in the Steinway & Stargazing series to benefit the Custer Observatory's Music Project. Following the concert and reception will be a private evening of stargazing (weather permitting) through the Custer Observatory's powerful telescopes and guided by Observatory staff. Blow Up Hollywood is an underground American rock band. Their eclectic sound, built over a decade of recording, incorporates many different styles, diverse as progressive rock, post-rock, experimental, pop, classical, jazz and ambient soundscapes. Founded by Steve Messina and Nik Chinboukas in 2001, the group has evolved into more of a collective than a band, as some of their members have changed over the years. Their debut, self-titled CD, is a concept album about death and the afterlife. The CD was recorded in a beach house in West Hampton, New York, over the course of three weeks in March 2001, and was released the following year. Originally the recording was intended to be just a “musical vacation” amongst friends who had performed and recorded together in various groups and projects throughout the years. But after hearing the results, and enjoying the collaboration, they decided to release it, with Blow Up Hollywood as their moniker. Their sophomore CD, Fake, was released in 2004, and garnished critical acclaim. In 2006 the band released what would become their most popular CD, both nationally and internationally. With the debate over the war in Iraq raging, the band released another concept album, The Diaries of Private Henry Hill. Based on the journal entries of a young, deceased soldier from the Iraq war, Blow Up Hollywood takes us on Private Henry Hill’s surreal journey as he joins the army out of necessity rather than patriotism. Founder Steve Messina and bassist, Thad Debrock, perform some pieces from Blow Up Hollywood's body of work to end the Steinway & Stargazing series. Enjoy an outdoor reception under a beautiful star-themed tent following the concert with wine tasting and passed hors d'oeuvres by Grace & Grit Catering. Stargazing at nightfall.
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| 29 | 9:30am Work Party! Calling all hands! We're going to do general maintenance, clean up, painting Custer's trim, trimming bushes - and anything around Custer that needs tending to. No talent goes to waste! |
| 28 | 7:30 PM Mars night! A presentation and observing - details coming! |
| Friday 31 | Members' Night: Last Friday each month. No public tours! A Members-Only (and their guests) evening for mingling, observing, enjoying the observatory and its resources, discussing Custer's present and planning its future together. Coordinated through the Custer Member's Yahoo Group. Members check there for updates. |
| November 2018 | |
| 2-4 | StarFest 2018 (aka 40th Astronomy Jamboree, but now with a more modern and catchy name! Events are better too – wait and see!) Details to follow, but mark your calendars! |
Visit Custer!
Get a feel for the place and part of our must-see-in-person collection!
NASA TV Public-Education
NASA TV airs a variety of regularly scheduled, pre-recorded educational and public relations programming 24 hours a day on its various channels. The network also provides an array of live programming, such as 24-hour coverage of International Space Station events (spacewalks, media interviews, educational broadcasts), and rocket launches.