KU Astronomy Public Nights
Join KU astronomers at Slawson for an evening of observing the Moon and planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus through our telescopes. You can also watch a variety of shows in our planetarium and try astronomy themed crafts like Cube Worlds.
FAQ
Where is this?
We are located on the Lawrence KU campus. Planetarium shows will be in G174 Slawson and telescope observing will be just outside of Slawson to the south of the building.
Who can attend? Is this free?
Anyone of all ages are welcome to attend and all parts of public nights are completely free. No KU affiliation is required.
When do the planetarium shows start?
Planetarium shows start at 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30 pm. Clouds or Rain? The planetarium shows will still run!
What kinds of planetarium shows are there?
We have shows on all kinds of astronomical topics like Black Holes, the Sun, Dark Matter, Planets and more! We can also do tours of the solar system and land on other planets and moons.
What can we see through the telescopes?
Even on campus we can see quite a bit if the weather is good. Things that will be visible to us this semester are listed below.
Thursday, February 12th - Jupiter and bright winter constellations Orion and Taurus (including the Pleiades!)
Thursday, March 12th - Jupiter and its Galilean moons, Io, Calisto, Ganymede and Europa
Thursday, April 16th - Jupiter and Venus
Thursday, May 7th - Jupiter and Venus
When does the telescope observing start?
Telescope observing will start after 7:30pm as soon as it gets dark enough. In the months closer to winter (November, December, January, February) it is dark before we even start bringing out the telescopes. In months closer to summer (April, May and August and September) it will be closer to 8 or 9pm before it is dark enough to see planets.
