Monthly open houses are a mainstay of the Public Outreach Program and generally consist of a star talk by a noted amateur or professional astronomer, or planetarium guide. The Outreach Program also includes guest lectures, group tours, exoplanet searches, scout badge opportunities, variable star photometry, asteroid occultations, solar sunspot and eclipse observations, and astrophotography workshops. Evenings feature laser-guided tours of the night sky, views through the observatory’s telescopes and through a variety of different types of telescopes brought by volunteers and placed in areas dedicated for public observation. Large screen presentations as well as images from the main telescopes are utilized to illustrate scientific and astronomical concepts and events.

The community has an opportunity to enjoy telescope views that take advantage of the unusually dark skies at Muddy Run Park. Other offerings are night sky presentations, movie nights, picnics, music concerts, solstice celebrations and the viewing of solar and lunar eclipses. Ryan Observatory partners with educational institutions and associations with STEAM programs sponsored by local businesses and foundations. The observatory welcomes volunteers with an interest in astronomy to assist with events and learn firsthand about how astronomical equipment is operated and how research is conducted. Inside the Visitors Center, we offer tours exploring the solar system, the Park’s various ecosystems and the history and production of hydropower.

Ryan Observatory at Muddy Run strives to expand the community’s horizons through the astronomical sciences. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) are disciplines that we hope to advance with the outreach programs that Ryan Observatory provides utilizing innovative techniques and opportunities to benefit individual users and the community at large. This observatory provides the public with access to accomplished amateur astronomers and teachers in a unique setting using advanced instruments and interactive learning methods. This facility also provides local citizens with an opportunity to make major contributions to scientific inquiries thereby adding to the body of scientific data and aiding in the work of professional astronomers.

Ryan Observatory is a public outreach facility featuring astronomy and STEAM education. Constructed by Exelon Generation Co. LLC and opened to the public in 2017 by Freeman Dyson, F.R.S. The facility offers free monthly open houses for observing the skies with trained amateur astronomers. Outreach programs are managed by the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society, one of the oldest amateur astronomical organizations in the country with a rich history of providing information to the public through presentations from knowledgeable and practicing scientists.