Sky-high view of the Wheaton College Astronomy Observatory
Upcoming Public Viewing Open Nights in the Observatory
- All Observatory Open Nights are Friday evenings.
- Start times vary depending on season and rise and set times of observing highlights.
- Please check the ‘Status’ of the observing night in the table below, before coming. Given New England weather, often we are forced to postpone our decision until noon on Friday.
Schedule for Upcoming Open Nights
Friday Observatory Open Nights:
Please come directly to the Observatory, 4th Floor, Mars Science Center.
Schedule for the Fall 2022 semester. All dates are weather-permitting. Cancellations will be posted here and 508-286-3979.
| March 24 | 8:00 pm | OPEN, but partly cloudy forecast. |
| March 31 | 8:00 pm | |
| April 7 | 8:00 pm | Full Moon |
| April 14 | 8:00 pm | |
| April 21 | 8:00 pm | Crescent Moon |
| April 28 | 8:00 pm | |
| May 5 | 8:00 pm | Full Moon |
Directions to the public nights: Come directly to the Observatory, 4th floor, Mars Science Center.
Click here for a printable campus map. Parking lots 7, 8, and 9 are close to the Observatory.
Check back to this page for an updated weekly schedule. The Friday Observatory Open Night event is free of charge.
Groups
The Observatory welcomes pre-scheduled small groups to visit our facilities on public viewing nights. We ask that all groups larger than 10 arrange their visits to the observatory so that we can manage the number of visitors to our program. Families and smaller groups are welcome at all times and do not need to make prior arrangements.
For more information about our open nights program, please contact Tony Houser at houser_anthony@wheatoncollege.edu or 508-286-3979.
Photos taken by our astronomy student, Yanni Papakostas:
Andromeda Galaxy, M31
Hercules Globular Cluster, M13
Pleiades Open Cluster, The “Seven Sisters”