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.eduPhone (Observatory): (859) 257-5330
Phone (Office): (859) 257-7147
UK AST191/AST192 Students: The observatory is open, subject to weather conditions, on Mon-Tue-Wed, from 8-10PM EST, and 9-11PM EDT (following Spring Break). There are four 30-minute observing sessions per night. Students late for a session must wait for the next available opening. 20 students are allowed in the dome at a time. You will be asked to sign a class list and you will need to know your section number, and should have a photo ID with you. Observing sessions begin on January 19th and will end on April 28th. If you wait until April, the line will form early and be long. The temperature inside the dome is the same as outside, so dress accordingly. We will make every effort to be open when we say we will be, however, we have occasionally been disappointed by unexpected clouds.You may visit the Clear Sky Chart for an idea of expected conditions as long as 24 hours in advance. We will update the observatory phone message and this site one hour before opening with a Go/No-Go prediction.
The observatory is closed on Monday, February 8, 2010; due to adverse weather conditions.
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: Brandon Hargis, NASA/Langley Research Center - February 11, 2010, 7PM Feb_SkyTalk_Flyer.pdf
- 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 153 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.)
- What is a Type Ia supernova? Find out here. Follow the fading light of supernova 2009ig: 2009-Dec-7.pdf
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 |
John Yopp |
Astrobiology: What Earth's Extreme Life Forms Tell Us about the Possibilities of Life on Other Planets.pdf (64MB) |
|
11-Feb-2010 |
7PM |
Brandon Hargis |
The Hubble Space Telescope: Scientific Breakthroughs and Breathtaking Images |
|
11-Mar-2010 |
7PM |
Raymond LeBeau |
A Galaxy of Giant Planets |
|
8-Apr-2010 |
8PM |
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13-May-2010 |
8PM |
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10-Jun-2010 |
8PM |
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8-Jul-2010 |
8PM |
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12-Aug-2010 |
8PM |
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| 9-Sep-2010 |
8PM |
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14-Oct-2010 |
7PM |
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11-Nov-2010 |
7PM |
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9-Dec-2010 |
7PM |
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