facility in New York State designed for K-12 teachers, students and their families and has been one of the best-sited and best equipped public observatories in the Northeast United States for nearly the last 40 years. The Observatory is a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers and participates in the ASTC Passport Program. The Passport Program allows members of a participating institution to visit other participating institutions for free, provided the member is visiting an institution more than 90 miles from their home institution. Public programs The Observatory holds public events every Friday evening, but due to changing seasonal sunsets times the Observatory adjusts its program starting times; March–May at 8:00pm, June–July at 8:30pm, August–November at 8:00pm, December–February at 7:00pm. Friday evening topics include Optical Astronomy, Radio Astronomy, Technology, and related subjects. There are a number of special events that are held throughout the year. Winter Star Party The annual Winter Star Party, held since 2006, is usually on the last Saturday in January. Doors open at 6pm and programs are held regardless of sky conditions. There are typically several speakers on various astronomy topics or brave the cold and see winter constellations, along with the Moon, Jupiter, the Orion Nebula, and much more through the Observatory's large telescopes. RocketFest The RocketFest has been held every June since 2008. Rocket building workshops will run every 3 hours starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. Assistance is available to help assemble the model rocket, prepare the engine, and launch the rocket. Reservations are necessary to hold a place in one of the workshops and to pre-order the type of rocket including Standard rockets (A- or B-powered), suitable for younger children and beginning rocket builders, and Advanced rockets (D-powered) have stronger engines and are appropriate for those with more experience. AstroFest Kopernik AstroFest is a celebration of the night sky and amateur astronomy held annually in October since 1982. The 3-day event is sponsored jointly by the Observatory and the Kopernik Astronomical Society. AstroFest includes speakers on a variety of topics, demonstrations, an amateur astronomy roundtable discussion, the Kopernik AstroFest Solar Star Party, and nightly observing if skies are clear. Overnight non-fire camping is allowed on the facility grounds for an additional nominal cost. Moonlight Café On selected Saturday evenings in the Spring and Fall the main building of KOSC is transformed into a Moonlight Café. It is an