The MacAdam Student Observatory is a University of Kentucky building located on top of parking garage structure #2 that is used by faculty and students for research and learning.
Our street address is 301 Hilltop Ave., Lexington, KY 40506.

Timothy Knauer, Director
MacAdam Student Observatory
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Email: TimKnauer@uky.edu
Phone (Observatory): (859) 257-5330
Phone (Office): (859) 257-7147

 

 

For AST191/192 students:

The observatory is open to AST191 & AST192 students on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, weather permitting. Sessions are 30 minutes and begin at 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, and 9:30. If you are late for a session, you will have to wait for the next one. The observatory can accomodate no more than 28 students at a time. The decision to open is based on the current weather and the forecast. The decision is made at 7PM and posted both here and on the observatory phone message.

 

The observatory will not be open for observing the week of November 23-28.

 

Really Useful Web Sites:

Astronomy Picture of the Day:  A visually stunning page with a cogent paragraph explaining their daily image.  Their archives go back to June, 1995.

SpaceWeather: Updated every day, the site covers the surface of the Sun, the Solar Wind, Aurora Borealis, Noctilucent Clouds, and information of bright satellite passes over your location. (See Satellite Flybys in the panel on the right.)

Is it going to be clear or cloudy tonight? See Attilla Danko's page for your area. In Lexington, KY,  we use this Clear Sky Chart. Read the top line of the chart, white is cloudy and dark blue is clear skies.


News & Updates

• Kentucky Sky Talk: Dr. Anna Quider December 10, 2009, 7PM The Dusty Universe
• What is a Type Ia supernova?  Find out here. Follow the fading light of supernova 2009ig: SN2009 Ver 2009-11-02.pdf
• The Blue Grass Amateur Astronomy Club will hold their first indoor meeting of the season on Friday, November 6th beginning at 8 PM in room 179 of the Chemistry-Physics Building at the University of Kentucky. The speaker is Dan Phelps who will be presenting the topic "Astrobiology and the Precambrian Earth."
• The MacAdam Student Observatory staff are pleased to welcome the public to our facility. We present a program of public outreach on every second Thursday of the month.  A 40-minute presentation on astronomy will begin at 7:00 PM, in Room 155 of the Chemistry-Physics Building, before moving across the street to the observatory, weather permitting. Note that the temperature at the telescope is the same as it is outside. The Observatory is located on Parking Structure #2 on the University of Kentucky campus (Number 618 on this interactive map.)
• Every two years or so, email accounts bristle with messages breathlessly announcing that observing Mars this fall will be a once in a lifetime experience. Observing the night sky is always worthwhile, but the claims are hugely exaggerated, at best. See Mars Hoax Exposed.pdf for the facts on Mars this fall.  

Calendar of Events

DateDate	Time	Speaker	Title
12-Nov-2009	7PM	Bill Brockman	Elements of Digital Astrophotography
10-Dec-2009	7PM	Anna Quider	The Dusty Universe
14-Jan-2010	7PM
11-Feb-2010	7PM
11-Mar-2010	7PM
8-Apr-2010	8PM
13-May-2010	8PM
10-Jun-2010	8PM
8-Jul-2010	8PM
12-Aug-2010	8PM
9-Sep-2010	8PM
14-Oct-2010	7PM
11-Nov-2010	7PM
9-Dec-2010	7PM