Learning to share

After more than a decade of keeping all their cool toys under lock and key, the authorities at the Sacramento City College Observatory have decided to open their doors to us public schmoes. It’s “open observatory” on the first Friday of the month from September through June, where trained professionals will show amateur astronomers what the heavens look like through a computer-controlled 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. An eye opening, grand opening celebration is scheduled for this Friday at 7:30pm. On the viewing agenda are globular clusters, the Andromeda Galaxy and Neptune. That’s so much cooler than sitting on your couch watching Phantom Menace again. The big ’scopes are on the third floor of the Rodda South Building, Sacramento City College, 3835 Freeport Blvd. Admission is free. Call 558-2005 for more information.