Plan a starry night at the Jones Observatory this semester! The observatory is open every Sunday from January 23 to April 17, excluding March 13 and 20. Admittance is free and open to the public. Through February 27, programs begin at 5:30 p.m. and end around 8 p.m. Beginning March 6, programs start at 6:30 p.m. and end around 9 p.m.
This semester, the schedule is organized by the month-long rotating themes. According to Jack Pitkin, operations manager of the Jones Observatory and Senior Teaching Lab Specialist in the UTC Department of Physics, Geology, and Astronomy, the idea of rotating themes was created in hopes of giving regular visitors new information with each visit.
“If the Discovery Channel can have ‘Shark Week,’ we can have Mars month,” Pitkin said.
A typical night’s program includes an introductory lecture, planetarium show, and an open telescope viewing through the facility’s five telescopes. For February, the theme will focus on Dobsonian telescopes, and the observatory will have several on-site for visitors to use. These telescopes, created by amateur astronomer John Dobson, feature a simple, easy-to-use design.
Pitkin recommends visiting the observatory in the winter months to get the best experience.
“Cold, clear nights are the best for viewing, but dress warmly,” he said.
The Observatory is located 4.5 miles east of campus at 10 Tuxedo Avenue, north of Brainerd Road and Belvoir Ave. The complete list of the spring schedule is located at http://www.utc.edu/Academic/JonesObservatory/schedule.php.
