For anyone wanting to view the eclipse online, PARI’s West Observatory research-grade 0.4 meter optical telescope will turn to the Moon and send rapidly updated images to the PARI web site, www.pari.edu. 

PARI will also host a members-only event for Friends of PARI at the Member Level ($100 per person annually).  Friends of PARI members are invited to witness the lunar eclipse at the PARI campus.  Activities will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will feature a presentation by Friend of PARI member Thurburn Barker about the role of the Rosman Tracking Station (PARI’s predecessor at the site) in the U.S. space program.  After pizza and refreshments PARI astronomers will present a lunar eclipse program featuring live streaming images, videos and other interactive displays.

Reservations are required for the on-campus activities and anyone wishing to join Friends of PARI may do so at the event.  For reservations and more information about the lunar eclipse program or Friends of PARI membership, contact Christi Whitworth at 828-877-6348 or cwhitworth@pari.edu. 

About PARI

The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is a not-for-profit public foundation established in 1998.  Located in the Pisgah Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville, NC, the PARI campus is a dark sky location for astronomy and was selected in 1962 by NASA as the site for one of the first U.S. satellite tracking facilities.  Today, the 200 acre campus houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments, 30 buildings, a fulltime staff and all the infrastructure necessary to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and research.  PARI offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate.  The institute is affiliated with the 16-campus University of North Carolina system through PARSEC, a UNC Center hosted at PARI, and is a member of the NC Grassroots Museum Collaborative.  For more information about PARI and its programs, visit www.pari.edu.