Open Houses at the Rice University Campus Observatory
updated January 26thh, 2012
WEATHER LOOKS GREAT FOR THE FRIDAY NIGHT OPEN HOUSE...COME!
The next open house for public viewing is scheduled for Friday night, January 27th, beginning after sunset (~7pm to ~9:30pm). Early viewers will be able to see the crescent moon and Venus, then Jupiter and Uranus, and finally the Great Orion Nebula, along with maybe some star clusters and nebulae. Good winter Milky Way viewing! If the center doors are locked, enter thru 118 "Receiving" back left of Brockman and take the elevator to the 4th floor.
The Rice campus observatory is now located atop the new Brockman Hall for Physics building located right behind Hamman Hall. If you are driving from off campus enter the North Parking Lot via Entrance 21 off of Rice Blvd (north side of campus) and go through the yellow bar gate to the right of the entrance. Go across the street between Hamman and Mudd halls to the central open area of Brockman, turn left and enter through the rear left door (labeled "118 Receiving"). Take the elevator up to the fourth floor and then through the double doors to the observing terrace.
BAD WEATHER: In the event of clouds and uncertain weather, check here and the top page for updates to see if the public night will be held (remember to refresh the page!). Any official notice of cancellation will be posted, but you should also use your judgement - if you cannot see the Moon through thick clouds the telescope won't be able to either.
General Information: The primary mission of the campus telescope is to serve Rice's undergraduate classes, but we also offer public viewing nights for the enjoyment of the Houston community. Several times during the semester we hold these open houses on a night near first quarter moon (usually a weekend). The dates for these are posted at this website at least several days in advance, and are contingent upon good weather. Our open houses are always hosted by a faculty member in the Physics and Astronomy Department, so bring your astronomical questions with you! When special astronomical events occur we may also have public viewing sessions. The times for open houses depend on local sunset times, but generally start about an hour after sunset and go on for 2-3 hours thereafter. During summer months, when school is not in session, we may or may not have additional open houses.
Reservations for special nights by groups are not practical given our limited staff, so viewing through the 16 inch telescope is done on a "first-come, first-served" basis (sign-up sheets during high attendance nights). School groups interested in seeing an astronomical observatory and looking through telescopes should contact the George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park (281-242-3055), which is a larger facility dedicated to serving schools in the Houston area, and one which has weekly public viewing on Saturdays.
Fees: Unless specifically noted as Rice only or private above, the open houses are free and open to the public. Some Rice lots charge a nominal fee for parking.
Getting the Most Out of Your Visit: The best views of planets, stars clusters and nebulae are with our computerized 16 inch telescope inside the dome, but we can only accommodate about 60 people an hour looking through it and on busy nights a sign-up system is employed. However, in addition to this telescope, there will be 2-3 (or more) smaller telescopes set up on the terrace for viewing. These smaller telescopes do not require sign in. Our experience has been that the large telescope is able to see planets and the Moon well through thin clouds, and if it is clear we get good views from the smaller portable scopes as well. When the Moon is out, we will get some wonderful resolution with all the telescopes.
If you have small children (i.e., less than about 5 years old, we strongly recommend that they use only the telescopes set up on the terrace. The wait to see through these telescopes is much shorter than for the telescope in the dome, and small children are rarely able to discern any additonal detail through the large telescope. To see through the 16-inch, small children must be lifted up, and because the telescope cannot be touched during observation, it is extremely difficult to place the child's eye at the right distance from the eyepiece, even if the child was accustomed to looking through an eyepiece, which most are not. In contrast, the smaller telescopes offer a more controlled environment closer to the ground, and provide particularly good views of the Moon, which is probably the ideal target for children, as it is bright and easy to see.