It’s been 400 years since Galileo first used a telescope to study the skies. 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy which celebrates this and other astronomical milestones.

The public is invited to commemorate the occasion after sunset on Friday, March 6, at Visitors’ Night at Missouri S&T’s Observatory. This will be an opportunity to view Venus and the moon through the university’s 16-inch telescope.
Weather permitting, the Missouri S&T Observatory will open its doors at 7 p.m. Friday, March 6. Visitors’ Nights at the Observatory are free of charge and no reservations are required.
The observatory will also offer opportunities to view Saturn and the moon at 8 p.m. on April 3 and again on May 1. Viewing is subject to weather conditions.
Built in 1973, the Missouri S&T Observatory is adjacent to the university’s Stonehenge replica on Highway 63 North, north of V.H. McNutt Hall and west of St. Patrick’s Lane. For more information contact Dr. John L. Schmitt, associate professor of physics at Missouri S&T, at 341-4369 or email jschmitt@mst.edu.