Observatory stargazing free for public

IU’s Kirkwood Observatory is opening for the first time this season from 9 to 11 p.m. today for free stargazing.

In addition to the normal observation by telescope, visitors will use infrared cameras to see what they would look like in infrared light and see meteorites and 3-D astronomy posters, said Randy Hamper, outreach coordinator of the astronomy department.

“Over the course of the year, we will look at planets, the moon, galaxies and other astronomical objects,” he said.

The observatory has public viewing sessions every Wednesday until the middle of November. The times will run from 9 to 11 p.m. until April, when the hours will change to 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Open houses will be 1 to 3 p.m. the first Saturday of each month, now through August.

Kirkwood Observatory, located just northeast of the corner of Fourth Street and Indiana Avenue at the wooded edge of campus, is no longer used for research, Hamper said.

“Because the observatory is near downtown, it is too bright to use for research anymore and it is also not a cutting edge instrument comparatively to modern telescopes,” he said. “It went from being a research telescope to being an outreach and teach telescope, which it is today.”

The observatory, named after IU mathematician Daniel Kirkwood, is more than 100 years old and has a 12-inch refracting telescope, Hamper said.

Although the weekly viewing open houses are weather permitting, the observatory will be open rain or shine today.