Planetarium Information

During January and February, the UNI Planetarium will be open to the public for an astronomy program each Thursday night with the first show starting at 7 PM. The other show will begin at 8 PM. Admission is free and all are welcome. The planetarium seats 25 and all shows begin promptly on the hour. Planetarium shows will continue until early March when the observatory programs will begin (see below). The planetarium is located at room 105 Latham Hall.

Observatory Information

During the fall semester, the outdoor observatory shows will start during the second week of classes, usually the first Thursday in September. The show begins at 9 PM so long as we are on Daylight Savings Time. After the first Sunday of November, the show will begin at 8 PM. There will be shows in November until Thanksgiving break. After that the observatory will be closed until March.

The outdoor observatory program will begin March 4th, at 8 PM and will continue until the last week of classes during spring semester (last show: April 29, 2010). There will be no program Spring break, during final exams and summer months. See the Events listing for specific days and times during the current semester. The observatory program will start at either 8 PM during Standard Time, or 9 PM during Daylight Savings Time. You will want to be sure that you get to Lantz Auditorium (Room 137, the BIG lecture hall at the east end of McCollum Science Hall) before the starting time so that the observatory guide can show you the way up to the roof. Don't wait inside of Lantz Auditorium, but outside of it, in the lobby area near the polar bear. If you don't get there until after the start of the program, you can not go on the roof on your own, and you'll have to come back another Thursday night - this is for your own safety.

You will also want to dress warmly since you will be on the roof, and the wind is usually stronger up there and the observatory is not heated. And even if the daytime temperature was pretty warm, once the sun goes down, so does the temperature. Mosquitos can also be a problem, particularly during the warmer months.

Small children may have a hard time looking through a telescope, since they don't have precise motor skills, so you may want to make sure that a very bright object like the Moon or a bright planet is visible, so that they will be able to see something clearly. Since the observatory can be rather crowded, and the program is presented usually under dark conditions, it is not recommended that children under the age of 6-7 attend the observatory open houses for their own safety. It is against University policy for pets to be inside of University buildings, so please leave your pets at home.

The observatory program will go ahead, regardless of the weather conditions. You will at least have the chance to learn about the observatory and the workings of the telescope on cloudy nights.

Depending upon the number of participants and the weather conditions, the observatory show can last from half an hour to an hour or longer.

If you have any questions about visiting the observatory or if you would like to arrange a special visit for a group, please contact Dr. Siobahn Morgan, telephone: (319)-273-2389 (though e-mail is preferred).