Dress like an astronaut, see the moon as Galileo did, make a crater, find out how much you weigh on the moon and sample fresh ice cream chilled with liquid nitrogen. Fuertes Observatory will open its doors for a celebration of the first International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The celebration will feature opportunities for observing through a variety of telescopes, including the observatory's main telescope, which was built in the 1920s and uses a 12-inch refractor with a mechanical tracking mechanism like a grandfather clock, starting at 7:30 p.m. (weather permitting).

Also planned: a series of short talks on lunar topics, such as the Apollo era, geology and current lunar missions in the Fuertes classroom from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; and outdoor hands-on activities for all ages, including comparing lunar and Earth soil, seeing the inside of a Galileoscope telescope, feeling what a bottle of water weighs on the moon and other planets, trying activities with bulky astronaut gloves and making a simple rocket.

The event will take place regardless of weather, but observing and activities may be impacted in the case of overcast skies or rain. Visitors should dress for outdoors.