Safely look at the Sun and its features — such as sunspots and prominences — through a special set of filters on our telescope.
Take a closer look at the Sun
The Observatory is open to museum visitors every Saturday year-round from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, weather permitting. From June 24 – September 2, Sungazing will also be offered to visitors on Friday afternoons, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Sungazing admission is included with Science Center admission.
Phone 410-545-2999 after 12:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays to find out if the Observatory will be open that day.
Amazing Sun Facts
- The Sun is 1.4 million kilometers (869,919 miles) wide (that’s 109 Earths across!)
- The Sun contains 99.86 percent of the mass of the entire solar system.
- About 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the Sun.
- The total energy radiated by the Sun averages 383 billion trillion kilowatts, the equivalent of the energy generated by 100 billion tons of TNT exploding each and every second.
- At about 5 billion years old, the Sun is half-way through its life.