Astro Night is a free stargazing and lecture event open to the public. Held on the first Thursday of the month (during select months, as weather permits), members of the public are invited to take part in guided stargazings using our fleet of telescopes, including our 17-inch telescope located in our roof-top observatory, in addition to attending a lecture from one of our many researchers. Members of our department will be on hand to answer your questions and tell you more about the going-ons in Campbell Hall! You can see recorded past talks on our YouTube Channel here
Attending Astro Night
Astro Night is held in Campbell Hall, located on the Hearst Mining Circle. Parking is available in the public lots around the perimeter of campus, with the closest being the garage located at Hearst and Euclid (parking on campus requires special permits); street parking around campus is also available and free after 6:00 pm.
Doors to Campbell Hall open 15-30 minutes in advance of each star party (times vary, please see below for full schedule) and due to our limited space attendance is on a first-come, first-serve basis (there will be someone in the lobby directing attendees). The science lecture is aimed at a high-school level audience, however children are more than welcome to attend. If you plan on attending the lecture please arrive on time; you are welcome to come and go during the star-gazing portion of the evening.
*NOTE*: Stargazing is dependent on weather conditions; lectures will always occur as scheduled.
Lecture: See below schedule. Doors open 15 minutes before lecture begins.
Lecture Location: Campbell Hall Lobby, RM 131
Stargazing: after the lecture (weather permitting)
Stargazing: Campbell 6th floor balcony
2025 Astro Night Schedule
Below is the current tentative Astro Night schedule; more dates to be added.
If you have any questions please contact Daniel Brethauer, Natasha Abrams and Natalie LeBaron.
| Date | Speaker | Lecture Topic | Lecture time |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 3, 2025 | Macy Huston | Black Holes | 7:15-8:15pm |
| May 1, 2025 | Clara Verges | Measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background | 7:45-8:45pm |
| June 5, 2025 | TBD | TBD | 8:15-9:15pm |
| July 11, 2025 | Itai Sfaradi | Radio Supernovae | 8:15-9:15pm |
| August 7, 2025 | Felipe Gonzalez | Interiors of Super-Earths and Exoplanets | 8:00-9:00pm |
| September 4, 2025 | Bashi Mandava | Dark Matter | 7:15-8:15pm |
| October 2, 2025 | Wenbin Lu | The Most Unlucky Star at the Center of a Galaxy | 6:30-7:30pm |
| November 6, 2025 | Eli Wiston | TBD | 6:30-7:30pm |