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Photo: Tkeator at English Wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Kopernik Observatory bills itself as "the best-sited and best equipped public observatory in the Northeast United States for over 25 years". During the warmer half of the year, it offers regular educational programming and observation every Friday evening.
The Kopernik Observatory & Science Center (KOSC), is a public observatory in Vestal, New York opened to the public on June 16, 1974, by the Kopernik Society of Broome County to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in 1973. Its mission is to offer hands-on investigations and outreach programs for educating all ages about astronomy and science using advanced optical telescopes, computers and other tools. It is the first science laboratory facility in New York State designed for K-12 teachers, students and their families, and has been one of the best-sited and best equipped public observatories in the Northeast United States for nearly the last 40 years.
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The Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park is the nation's fifth oldest zoo in continual operation. The zoo has benefited from increased community investment and management, and you can see the care taken in its volunteer maintained gardens and well-kept if modest exhibits. It makes an enjoyable and educational half-day visit. Be sure to spend some time with the Golden Lion Tamarins. If you stay a while, you may hear the gray wolves howl at the sound of sirens from the occasional ambulance approaching nearby General Hospital. The antique carousel by the zoo entrance is, like all others in the area, open to the public free of charge. As of June 2018, the carousel is closed for renovations and restoration.