The Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland, College Park hosts Open Houses at the UMD Observatory on the 5th and the 20th of every month. On Open House evenings a guest speaker will give approximately a half hour talk about a topic in astronomy. The talk is followed by viewing of celestial objects through the observatory's telescopes, weather permitting. If weather does not permit viewing, the talk will still go on as scheduled.

Upcoming Speakers

  • Tuesday, January 5, 8:00 pm
    Elizabeth Warner on "2016 Observing Highlights"
    MC: Tom Rimlinger

  • Wednesday, January 20, 8:00 pm
    Dr. Hannah Wakeford on "Exploring Alien Atmospheres"
    MC: Sara Frederick

  • Friday, February 5, 8:00 pm
    Dr. Doug Hamilton on "The Icy Heart of Pluto"
    MC: Pradip Gatkine

  • Saturday, February 20, 8:00 pm
    Dr. Tilak Hewagama on "Exploration with Small Spacecraft"
    MC: Rebecca Levy

  • Saturday, March 5, 8:00 pm
    Elizabeth Warner on "Watching Stars Blink"
    MC: Zeeve Rogoszinski

  • Sunday, March 20, 8:00 pm
    Taro Shimizu on "Active Galactic Nuclei: Shining a Light on Supermassive Black Holes and Galaxy Evolution"
    MC: Ashlee Wilkins

  • Tuesday, April 5, 8:00 pm
    Dr. Dennis Bodewits on "Living with a Comet: The Rosetta Mission"
    MC: Ginny Cunningham

  • Wednesday, April 20, 8:00 pm
    Dr. Stefanie Milam on "James Webb Space Telescope - Science and Status Update"
    MC: Mahmuda Afrin Badhan