Have your own Exotic Reptile Encounter

The Ruth Patrick Science Education Center offers a traveling reptile encounters program that is perfect for school assemblies, home school group meetings, special events, and birthday parties! Add some excitement and education to your next event! Our reptile handler will bring a selection of exotic reptiles and provide fun, educational experiences on topics such as invasive species, reptile biology, habitats, animal adaptations, and survival techniques. We also offer a hands-on experience for smaller groups, which is perfect for birthday parties. Participants will get to touch and hold our scaly friends while they learn fun facts about them, such as where they are from and what they eat.

Our reptile ambassadors include “Kissel” the Green Iguana, “Barbara” the Plated Lizard, “Turnip” the Sulcata Tortoise, and the show stopping 8ft. Boa Constrictor “Krueger” as well as a variety of snakes, geckos, lizards, and some amphibians. We cannot guarantee to bring specific individuals, but you will encounter amazing reptiles based on animal availability.

Our reptile birthday parties and educational reptile shows can be performed at your home, school, clubhouse, or other party venue. We will bring our scaly friends to you! Contact us today to book your event.

"Super Blood Flower Moon"

Total Lunar Eclipse May 15-16, 2022

Free Viewing session at the RPSEC from 10:25 PM - 12:30 AM

The DuPont Planetarium at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina Aiken will be hosting a FREE lunar eclipse viewing on May 15, 2022. We will begin setting up for the event at about 10:00 PM and will stay at least through the early stages of the maximum eclipse at about 12:30 AM.

Why has it been named the "Super Blood Flower Moon?"

• Super: A "Super" moon is the name given when a full moon occurs near the time when the Moon is at its closest distance from Earth. The Moon orbits the Earth about once per month. The orbit is not a circle but an ellipse. Therefore, there is a point when the moon is closest to the Earth (perigee) and a point when it is furthest from the Earth (apogee). Perigee is at 11:24 AM EDT on 5/17/22. That is less than 37 hours after the maximum eclipse, so this qualifies as a "Super Full Moon."
• Blood: A blood moon is a term often used to describe a lunar eclipse. During a lunar eclipse, the moon turns a reddish color. Some ancient peoples thought that the reddish color gave the moon a "bloody" appearance. The color is caused by sunlight passing through and bouncing off the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere scatters the shorter wavelengths and only the longer reddish wavelengths pass through. These wavelengths "bounce" off the atmosphere and some of them reach the surface of the Moon. We see the red light reflecting back to Earth showing the "blood" moon.
• Flower: There is usually one full moon during each month of the year. The full moon for each month has been given a name, and May's full moon is known as the "Flower Moon." Here are the names of the full moons. January - Wolf Moon, February - Snow Moon, March - Worm Moon, April - Pink Moon, May - Flower Moon, June - Strawberry Moon, July - Buck Moon, August - Sturgeon Moon, September or October - Harvest Moon, September - Full Corn Moon, October - Hunter's Moon, November - Beaver Moon, December - Cold Moon.

You may watch the "Super Blood Flower Moon" from anywhere that you have a view of the Moon. We will have telescopes available for you if you are interested in visiting us at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.

Links to "Super Blood Flower Moon" information

• EclipseWise.com (Mr. Eclipse)
• timeanddate.com
• Watch the eclipse NASA Science Live

Photos from the event

• 
  Image taken by Jim Cadieux using a 5.5” refractor telescope
• 
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The Ruth Patrick Science Education Center is excited to present the all new Family Science Days offering enriching science opportunities for families with elementary and middle level learners in biology, astronomy, environmental science, physical science, geology and more!

Excellent for homeschool families and families looking for something to do on the Fridays of the hybrid school schedule.

When

October-December - Various Friday and Saturday Dates (see schedule below)

Time

9:30-11:30am

Cost

$25 per “family” unit up to 3 people (add up to 2 additional people at $5 each). Maximum of 5 in a “family” unit.

All “family” units must include 1 adult.

Locations

May include:

• Ruth Patrick Science Education Center
• Dupont Planetarium
• Audubon’s Silver Bluff Center
• Bridgestone

Registration

Registration closes 48 hours prior to the event.

Register Online for Family Science Days

COVID-19 Policies and Procedures

• Attendance is limited to a small number of “family” units
• Masks are required to be worn at all times unless instructed otherwise
• Reduced interaction and social distancing between “family” units
• Increased sanitization of materials, facilities and participants
• Health Screening before each program:
  • Have you or any of the children in your “family” unit had close contact (within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes) in the last 14 days with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, or has any health department or health care provider been in contact with you and advised you to quarantine?
  • Do you or do any of the children in your “family” unit have any of these symptoms? (Fever of 100.4°F, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new cough, new loss of taste or smell)
  • Since they were last at RPSEC, have you or any of the children in your “family” unit been diagnosed with COVID-19?

Event Schedule

"Election Day Beaver Blood Moon"

Total Lunar Eclipse November 8, 2022

The First Ever Lunar Eclipse on a U.S. Election Day

Free Viewing session at the RPSEC from 4:30 AM - 7:00 AM

The DuPont Planetarium at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina Aiken will be hosting a FREE lunar eclipse viewing on November 8, 2022 from approximately 4:30 AM - 6:30 AM.

Why has it been named the "Election Day Beaver Blood Moon?"

• Election Day: The eclipse is on election day 2022. It will be Nov. 8, 2394 before there will be another lunar eclipse on election day.Blood: A blood moon is a term often used to describe a lunar eclipse. During a lunar eclipse, the moon turns a reddish color. Some ancient peoples thought that the reddish color gave the moon a "bloody" appearance. The color is caused by sunlight passing through and bouncing off the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere scatters the shorter wavelengths and only the longer reddish wavelengths pass through. These wavelengths "bounce" off the atmosphere and some of them reach the surface of the Moon. We see the red light reflecting back to Earth showing the "blood" moon.
• Beaver: There is usually one full moon during each month of the year. The full moon for each month has been given a name, and November's full moon is known as the "Beaver Moon." Here are the names of the full moons. January - Wolf Moon, February - Snow Moon, March - Worm Moon, April - Pink Moon, May - Flower Moon, June - Strawberry Moon, July - Buck Moon, August - Sturgeon Moon, September or October - Harvest Moon, September - Full Corn Moon, October - Hunter's Moon, November - Beaver Moon, December - Cold Moon.

You may watch the "Election Day Beaver Blood Moon" from anywhere that you have a view of the Moon. We will have telescopes available for you if you are interested in visiting us at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.

Links to "Super Blood Flower Moon" information

• EclipseWise.com (Mr. Eclipse)
• timeanddate.com