New Pioneers had a very important mission this August: Space Night! This fourth annual program was once again brought back by popular demand and provided astronomical amounts of fun with our new location and newly refreshed activities for the night.

Attendees started Space Night with a warm welcome from the New Pioneers' team, and an opportunity to explore our self-paced "Space Stations." These stations allowed families to learn about the center of gravity, constellations, our planets, moon phases, and more through interactive games, presentations, and crafts!

Next, our "Space Crew" had the chance to further explore the wonders of our solar system with timed activities, led by the New Pioneers' team and Seth Thompson, local environmental educator. These activities guided attendees in discovering planet trivia, meteor terminology, how solar eclipses are formed, and how gravity differs on each planet.

Finally, the night was closed with an opportunity to view the night sky with a professional telescope and newfound space knowledge. With these tools, attendees were able to view the moon and its craters, local constellations, and Saturn!

New Pioneers greatly appreciates our community and the immense amount of support Space Night receives each year. An extra special thank you goes to Springfield Tourism for sponsoring this event, the Rotary Park at the Reservoir for hosting, and to Seth Thompson for his aid in facilitating this special night!

To view more photos from this program, click here or on the collage above.