On Saturday, Sept. 26, Wichita State University’s Lake Afton Public Observatory will participate in Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day.

A celebration of culture, learning and the dissemination of knowledge, Smithsonian’s Museum Day reflects the spirit of the magazine and follows the free-admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C., locations.

On Museum Day, doors at museums and cultural institutions nationwide will be open free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readers and Smithsonian.com visitors.

Present a Museum Day admission card at Lake Afton Public Observatory on Saturday evening, Sept. 26, and you and a guest will get in free. The Museum Day Admission Cards can be found in the September issue of Smithsonian magazine as well as online at http://www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

LAPO will present "Voyage through the Solar System.” Join as the observatory celebrates the anniversaries of significant milestones in the unmanned exploration of the solar system.

Visitors can view the moon and Jupiter through the observatory’s 16-inch telescope and listen to discussion about discoveries made by unmanned probes over the past 50 years.

The following restrictions apply:

• Admission card is good for general admission for the card-bearer plus one guest.
• One admission card per household.
• Not for use with any other offer.
• No rain checks.

Last year, about of 200,000 people attended Museum Day events, with all 50 states plus Puerto Rico represented by more than 900 participating museums, including 84 Smithsonian affiliate museums. This year, the magazine expects to attract more than 1,000 museums.

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.