The Lake Afton Public Observatory will be having fun and educational activities starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in celebration of Astronomy Day 2009.

Some of the activities include a seltzer rocket building contest, a Martian lander vehicle building contest and an astro-art activity.

As dusk nears at about 8 p.m., participants can observe Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.

The observatory’s regularly scheduled program, “Moons, Rings and Other Things,” will begin at 9 p.m. Saturn, the moon and a dying star will be observed through a 16-inch telescope.

The Kansas Astronomical Observers club will also be demonstrating several types of telescopes inside and outside the observatory.

In observance of Astronomy Day, admission is $1 off.

For more information, go to http://webs.wichita.edu/lapo/programs/2009/AstroFest.htm.

The Lake Afton Public Observatory is operated by the Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education, a part of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Science at Wichita State University.