Want to become an astronomer?
The Astronomy Department is pleased to give you the opportunity through our series of scheduled public viewings. From the rooftop of the physics building, you will have the chance to observe some of the same celestial objects that have inspired sky-gazers throughout history.
Schedule
The Astronomy Department schedules public viewing every Friday evening during the University's Fall and Spring semesters. These public sessions are held IF the weather is acceptable (clear with wind chill above -15° F).
| September 14th, 2007 - November 2nd, 2007 | 9:00 PM - 10:30 PM. |
| November 9th, 2007 - December 7th, 2007* | 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM. |
| *Public night will not be held November 23rd or during Winter break (12/21/07 - 01/25/08) | |
| January 18th, 2008 - March 7th, 2008** | 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM. |
| March 14th, 2008 - April 25th, 2008 | 9:00 PM - 10:30 PM. |
| **Public night will not be held during spring break (March 21th, 2008) | |
To verify that public night is being held, call 612-626-0034 one hour before session is to be held . There will be a recorded message informing you if there
IS or IS NOT an observing session that Friday night. Please be patient
as our graduate students have hectic schedules and may not always have
a message exactly one hour before.
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Location
Public viewing is held on the roof of the Tate Laboratory of Physics. Once in the building, take the south elevator to floor 4S. Go down the hallway to room 450 to access the roof. If you need help locating our building or finding a good parking spot, try consulting our page on finding the department.
Groups
Often, girl scout troops and various other groups enjoy attending our public viewing nights. If you would like to bring a large group to public viewing or if you wish to request a presentation for your group, contact our Public Outreach Coordinator at least one week prior to desired observing session.
FAQ
- When do you have public viewing?
--Typically, every Friday evening during the Fall and Spring semesters, although you should view our schedule to confirm. Also, please note that we do sponsor a public viewing program over the summer called Universe in the Park. - How can I find out if public viewing has been cancelled?
--Call 612-626-0034 approximately one hour before viewing is scheduled to begin. - What kinds of objects will be visible?
--Depending on the time of year and weather conditions, our graduate students usually look for the Moon and planets (if they are up), bright stars, binary stars, star clusters, and the occasional nebula or galaxy. On a clear night, you can actually see a great variety of interesting objects. The Minnesota Starwatch newsletter, updated monthly, describes the objects that should be visible in clear skies. - What sort of equipment will be used?
--Normally, we set up at least one 8" reflecting telescope on the roof. These can be outfitted with a variety of different eyepieces to suit the object being observed. The roof is also home to our historical 10.5" refracting telescope inside the dome. Depending on the size and brightness of the objects being observed, often a good pair of binoculars does nearly as well as a telescope.