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Public Events at the ONU Observatory |
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Fall 2024 Schedule -- ONU Observatory
Maps to the ONU Observatory can be found
here.
Sunday, Aug 25, 8:30-9:30 pm. -- ONU Event. "Welcomefest Meet-n-greet" Descriptions of each event will appear in the week leading up to the event. Friday, Sept 13, 8:30-10:30 pm. -- Public Event. "Saturn near its brightest"
The ONU Observatory will be open to the public on Friday, Sept 13, from
8:30 - 10:30 pm, weather permitting. On Sunday, Sept 8, Saturn will be at
opposition. ``Opposition" is the planetary configuration in which the planet
appears in the opposite direction as the Sun from the Earth's perspective.
It is also the time of closest approach to the Earth, making Saturn look
bigger and brighter than usual. By Sept 13, Saturn is still close
to Earth, but it will be higher in the sky by 9 pm making it easier to
see through the telescopes. It will be 10 degrees above the horizon at
8:30 pm, and 20 degrees by 9:30 pm. This planet has a beautiful ring system,
but it is getting closer to disappearing as an edge-on sliver of light
as we approach the ring-plane crossing of March, 2025. The last
ring-plane crossing was 29 years ago (1995).
The Moon will be 78% lit and will also be fun to look at.
Now (9/13) the forecast is for ~30% cloudcover, so we will proceed!
This event was a success!
Friday, Sept 20, 8:30-10:30 pm -- Public Event. "Nova watch: T Corona Borealis"
The ONU Astronomy Club will be hosting a public outreach event on September
20 called "Nova watch: T Corona Borealis". On this evening the Sun will
set nearly due west because the autumnal equinox is almost upon us.
The theme tonight is novas and supernovas (technically, novae). These are
"new" stars that seem to appear out of nowhere. Both types
arise from exotic objects like massive stars (for supernovae) and
white dwarves (for novae and Type Ia supernovae).
The original star is obliterated in a supernova, but a nova can live to
brighten again. T Corona Borealis is such a recurrent nova and it is
predicted to go off this year, most likely in September. It consists of
a white dwarf orbiting a red giant. Our telescopes can detect the
red giant now. The white dwarf has surface detonations once about every 80
years, and it can reach the brightness of Polaris. We will point our
telescopes at this and other nova and supernova remnants. Saturn will
also be well placed for viewing.
As of Thursday (9/19) the forecast is looking cloudy for Friday night. Also, the nova has not yet erupted!
This event is cancelled due to predicted clouds.
Saturday, Oct 19, 7:30-9:30 pm -- Public Event. "Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is bright!"
Ada and the surrounding community is invited to a special viewing of a
bright comet on Saturday, October 19 from 7:30-9:30 pm. This event
begins a little earlier than usual in order to catch the comet before it
sets in the west. Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) should have a total
magnitude brighter than Polaris, but it's light is spread out over a
nucleus, coma, and long tail which extends about 8 degrees, so it may be
difficult to find without help. We will have telescopes and binoculars
on hand to view the comet. Binoculars will probably provide the best
view of the entire comet. It is recommended that visitors arrive before
9:00 pm when the comet becomes too low for the telescopes to see.
As of Tuesday 10/15, the weather forecast is looking good for Saturday night!
This event was a success!
Friday, Nov 15, 7:30-9:30 pm -- Public Event. "Mercury and the Supermoon "
Ada and the surrounding community are invited to the ONU Observatory
for a "star party" on Friday, Nov 15, 7:30-9:30 pm. Except that, instead
of looking at stars, we will mostly be targeting solar system objects:
the Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter. November 15 happens to be the greatest
eastern elongation of Mercury, however it will be setting too early to
get a look at it.
Instead, will look at the full Moon, which happens to be on it's 3rd
"supermoon" of 2024.
It will be moving towards the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus.
Also in Taurus will be Jupiter and Uranus. Taurus is getting brighter
and closer as it approaches its December opposition.
The full phase of the Moon
is not great for viewing craters, but it is a good time to study
color differences on the lunar surface and the ray structures around
young craters.
As of Tuesday, 11/12, the forecast for Friday calls for heavy cloudcover.
This event is cancelled due to clouds in the forecast.
Friday, Dec 13, 7:30-9:30 pm -- Public Event. "Geminid Meteor Shower" Printer-friendly version here. |
Spring 2024 Schedule -- ONU Observatory
Maps to the ONU Observatory can be found
here.
Friday, Feb 9, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event.
"The Winter Milky Way"
Descriptions of each event will appear in the week leading up to the event. Friday, Feb 16, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Moon passing through the Pleiades " Friday, Mar 8, 7:30-9:30 pm. -- Public Event. "Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks" Friday, Mar 22, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Mercury at dichotomy" Friday, Apr 5, 9:00-11:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Galaxies of Spring" Monday, Apr 8, 2:00-4:00 pm. -- Streamed Event. "Total Solar Eclipse!"
Printer-friendly version here. |
Fall 2023 Schedule -- ONU Observatory
Maps to the ONU Observatory can be found
here.
Sunday, Aug 20, 8:30-9:30 pm. -- ONU Event. "Welcomefest Meet-n-greet" Descriptions of each event will appear in the week leading up to the event. Friday, Sept 8, 8:30-10:30 pm. -- Public Event. "Saturn puts on a show" Friday, Sept 22, 8:30-10:30 pm. -- Public Event. "The Autumnal Equinox" Friday, Oct 13, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Eclipse Eve Viewing" Saturday, Oct 14, 12:30-1:30 pm. -- STREAMED Event. "Annular Solar Eclipse" Friday, Nov 3, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Jupiter at its closest" Friday, Nov 17, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Leonid Meteor Shower" Printer-friendly version here. |
Spring 2023 Schedule -- ONU ObservatoryFriday, Feb 3, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Comet ZTF close to Earth" Friday, Feb 24, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Explore the waxing crescent Moon" Friday, Mar 24, 8:30-10:30 pm. -- Public Event. "Spring Star Party!" Friday, Apr 7, 9:00-11:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Mercury at Greatest Elongation" Friday, Apr 21, 9:00-11:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Galaxies of Spring" Printer-friendly version here. |
Fall 2022 Schedule -- ONU ObservatorySunday, Aug 21, 8:30-9:30 pm -- ONU event. "Welcomefest Open House" Friday, Sept 16, 9:00-11:00 pm -- Public Event "Neptune at its closest" Friday, Sept 23, 8:00-10:00 pm -- Public Event. "Autumnal Equinox and Jupiter approaching opposition" Friday, Oct 21, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Orionid Meteor Shower" Friday, Oct 28, 8:00-10:00 pm. - Public Event. "Observe the crescent Moon" Friday, Nov 11, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Uranus at Opposition" Friday, Dec 9, 8:00-10:00 pm. -- Public Event. "Opposition of Mars" Printer-friendly version here. |
Arrange a tour or visit?We encourage your K-12 students and other organizations to visit during the Public Events listed above. However, you may be able to schedule a special visit. We can comfortably fit about 60 people in the observing room. Bigger groups can still attend. During the daytime, we will show you the building and telescopes and, if clear, can view the Sun! We don't roll back the roof if there is precipitation. If interested, contact the Observatory Manager:Dr. Jason Pinkney ONU Dept of Physics and Astronomy 525 S. Main St., Ada, OH, 45810 j-pinkney@onu.edu Office: 419-772-2740 Observatory: 419-772-4028 See maps to the ONU Observatory. Check the weather at ONU Observatory: Clear Sky Chart. See the Observatory's Astrophoto gallery. |
