News and Events for Nantucket Island
This Sunday, August 1, 2021 marks the 203rd birthday of Maria Mitchell, America’s first woman astronomer. Unfortunately, last year due to pandemic restrictions, the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) was forced to cancel her birthday open house that the MMA has been hosting since they opened their doors to the […]
This Wednesday, July 28, at 7pm, Gitanjali Rao, TIME magazine’s first Kid of the Year, will speak at the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association’s (MMA) Science Speaker Series. Her talk, “The Role of Science and Technology as a Catalyst for Social Change” is part of this island organization’s Science Speaker Series […]
My first summer on Nantucket, in 1998 as a Maria Mitchell Association intern, was a magical experience for many reasons. Not the least of which was my first time to the beach at night. I will never forget the excitement of riding my bike in the dark with the other interns to catch a glimpse of the Perseid Meteor Shower one August summer night. Before I even saw one shooting star, I remember the awe-inspiring moment of looking up and seeing a sky full of bright twinkly stars. In a place like Nantucket, on this tiny island in the sea, the sky seems to go on forever into the ocean. Forget the sunsets that people “oooh and awe” about. The night sky of Nantucket is where the real show is!
Starting Monday, June 7, the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) will be offering another summer of education, research, and exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island. The Aquarium on Washington Street and Historic Mitchell House on Vestal Street will be open for tours on Monday through Friday […]
by Catherine Macallister On Sunday, September 1, island children (and their parents) discovered their new favorite place to play. Discovery Playground at Hinsdale Park is an accessible playground built on Land Bank land on Old South Road, across from the State Forest. The park is collaboration between The Land Bank […]
Every summer for more than a decade, the Maria Mitchell Association has been hosting a free public event they call Release Day. This year on Saturday August 31 at 10 am (arrive earlier to be at the front of the line), head over to the Aquarium at 28 Washington Street. […]
by Catherine Macallister Purple flags were flying high at Nantucket beaches as summer waters warm up these past few weeks, indicating hazardous marine life in the water. In this case the hazard was jellyfish. These non-vertebrae, no-brained creatures are gelatinous zooplankton, and they happen to be the topic for an […]
From the first Native American inhabitants of the island, to the arrival of colonial settlers and the whaling industry, to the life of Maria Mitchell, America’s first professional female astronomer, Nantucket is rich in history. In the spirit of Maria Mitchell’s belief in learning by doing, “A Walk Through Nantucket” […]
by Catherine Macallister Maria Mitchell, famed female astronomer, naturalist, and educator once said “We have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us, and the more we gain, the more is our desire; the more we see, the more we are capable of seeing.” Her […]
by Catherine Macallister If you ever find yourself out on Surfside Beach on a clear night, look up and gaze at the star-filled sky. Above you in band that reaches across the night sky, you’ll see the Milky Way. Take a moment to be thankful to be in a place […]
