Explore the Universe

Sophomore students from the College Park Scholars "Science, Discovery, and the Universe" program and freshmen from Northwestern High School, Hyattsville, work together on telescopic observing projects during the fall and spring semesters.

Other SDU students do more independent observing projects or assist with Open Houses as part of their sophomore projects.

ASTR 100

The ASTR 100 students are often (but not always) required to attend at least one Open House event each semester.

ASTR 111/120

The 100 level labs use the Ultima 2000 telescopes to observe Jupiter, Saturn, Messier objects, and other night sky favorites. They also do simple observations such as calculating angular separations of binary stars and studying the basic characteristics of CCD cameras. Some semesters, the students may also use the 8-inch telescopes to study globular clusters in the Milky Way. The students are then introduced to IDL (Interactive Data Language) to analyze the images taken with the CCDs.

ASTR 310

ASTR 310, the Optical Astronomy Techniques course, is centered on observational astronomy. Students study imaging and analytical techniques in class and are assigned observational projects throughout the semester. The students in this class are typically astronomy majors and use the larger, permanently mounted telescopes in the Observatory.

ENAE 441

Students in ENAE 441, Space Navigation and Guidance, come to the Observatory for one or two evenings around sunset to observe satellites.

Open House

The Observatory hosts public nights or "Open Houses" on the 5th and the 20th of every month (8pm Nov-Apr, 9pm May-Oct). On Open House evenings a guest speaker gives an approximately 25-30 minute talk about a topic in astronomy. The presentation is followed by viewing of celestial objects through the observatory's telescopes, weather permitting. Open Houses are attended by more than 2500 visitors each year and are open (free!) to the general public.

Special Events

The Observatory will occasionally be open or will have portable telescopes set up on campus for special astronomical events, such as eclipses or unusually bright comets. On-campus observing of Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997 attracted over 5000 people. The Observatory also sets up telescopes for sunspot viewing on Maryland Day, the University's Spring Open House event.

Docents Program

Just started in the Spring of 2002, the Docents Program allows students and interested individuals to learn how to use the observatory equipment in return for assisting on Open House and Special Event nights.

Learn the Sky Nights

A summer mini-course held for the first time in Summer 2002 for people interested in learning more about amateur astronomy, "Learn the Sky Nights" is a more involved program meant to give a hands-on approach to amateur astronomy. Participants learn the basics starting with altitude and azimuth, finding constellations and satellites, starhopping, to more advanced topics like the basics of astrophotography. In 2003, we also had a beginner's section and an advanced section that included discussions on advanced topics like how to find, track, observe, image asteroids and comets, supernovae, etc.

New Telescope Owner

A special program that we hold in early January in answer to the "I got a telescope for Christmas but don't know how to use it!" calls that we get each year. Dates change, so check back in late November for the details and a flyer that you can include with the telescope.

PS Before buying that telescope, be sure to read our advice on purchasing telescopes.

Evening Program

Evening programs are held only on the nights of the regular public Open House, ie the 5th and 20th of each month. The group program begins an hour before the public session so they begin at 8:00 pm May - October and at 7:00 pm November - April. The program consists of a short presentation by either the regularly scheduled guestspeaker or Elizabeth Warner. Following the presentation, the group then tours the observatory and observes through the telescopes weather permitting. The presentation portion and tour are held even if it is cloudy or rainy. While the group is observing, the public is getting their presentation. Call 301-405-6555 or email Elizabeth for a reservation at least 2 weeks in advance.

Day Program

Ideal for school and camp groups that can only do field trips during the day! The observatory is now equipped with solar filters for safe viewing of the sun as it is about the only thing visible during the day! This program would have a brief lecture about the sun followed by solar observing weather permitting. These programs would be held during the day, preferably sometime between 10am and 2pm M-F. Call 301-405-6555 or email Elizabeth for a reservation at least 2 weeks in advance.