Astronomy spotlighted at Morris Museum

The skies open wide at the Morris Museum on Saturday. The museum’s Astronomical Society guides visitors through an “Astro Day” — hours of family-oriented educational programs, lectures, stargazing, interactive displays and more.

Participation is free with regular museum admission and runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., then reconvenes from 7 to 9 p.m. for some telescopic sky exploration, weather permitting. The program coordinates with the opening of “Earth from Space,” a display of large-scale poster reproductions of satellite views of the Earth’s surface, produced by the Smithsonian Institution.

“Our members will be available to explain the images displayed and the style of satellite they come from,” said Morris Museum Astronomical Society president, Anthony Pisano.

The sharply detailed color posters present an orbital perspective on forest fires, hurricanes, dust storms, volcanic eruptions and other events that accentuate planetary dynamics.

“Astro Day” visitors should dust off their family telescopes and carry them to the museum for some expert one on one instruction on set-up and use. The museum’s portable planetarium will periodically air an introductory presentation about the night sky.

“Viewers will learn about the mythological origins of constellations and many of the imaginative interpretations by ancient peoples who saw pictures in the night sky,” said Pisano.

A trio of lectures will address the topics of locating planets in the night sky, searching for alien civilizations, and stargazing in the Florida Keys. Interactive stations invite participants into deeper involvement with aerospace subjects and concepts.

“One of the newest displays that debuted last year are 3D posters from NASA,” said Pisano. “Both kids and adults get a kick out of putting on the glasses and seeing the moon, sun and surface of Mars in full relief.”

The daytime activities include a valuable opportunity for telescopic sun-gazing through special solar screens or via a projected image. An assortment of filters enable safe, direct observation of Earth’s nearest star.

“These filters make different features of the solar surface visible,” Pisano explained. “If the weather is clear, one can hope to see sunspots, solar flares and prominences.”

Magical mystery tour

Another highly interactive exhibit opens at the museum on Thursday, April 2. “Now You See It: The Art of Magic and Illusion” features more than 20 hands-on stations exploring a spectrum of uncanny perceptual effects.

“The show combines antique magician props and tricks, artwork, explanatory text panels, and interactives that explore various optical illusions,” said associate curator Angela Sergonis-Melchionne. “We want visitors to engage with the different components and learn the history of some of the illusions.”

Professional magicians need not fear the betrayal of trade secrets.

“There will be explanations, but only to a point — we don’t want to reveal too much of the magic,” noted Sergonis-Melchionne. “But where science can explain certain tricks of the eye, it will.”

The interactives include a “Crazy Chair” for composing paradoxical selfies with family and friends, and an “Anti-Gravity” station for accomplishing impossibilities. Other stations manifest and investigate various visual effects in which perception defies reality.

“Optical illusions will be presented,” said Sergonis-Melchionne, “then rulers or other instruments provided to test them out.”

Artists have manipulated perception for ages — from Baroque-era “trompe l’oeil” effects to the visual gymnastics of 20th century “Op Art” compositions. Several paintings on display demonstrate an effect brought to prominence by Israeli artist Isia Leviant.

“In 1981, Leviant devised ‘Enigma,’ a figure that elicits perceived rotary motion in the absence of real motion,” stated Sergonis-Melchionne. “We’ll have examples on view for visitors to observe and feel the effects, with explanations.”

Tickets are available for a May 9 “Indian Magic Art Performance” by magician Shreeyash Palshikar that will vividly demonstrate many of the principles elucidated in the exhibit. A “Magical Illusion Camp” for children is offered for the week of July 13 to 17.

ASTRO DAY

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 28

WHERE: The Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown

ADMISSION: Included with museum admission of $10 for adults, $7 for children, students and seniors

INFO: 973-971-3700, www.morrismuseum.org