Get close-up views of the craters on the moon or the glow of various stars at Moraine Valley Community College’s telescope open viewing nights in 2017. This is the 15th year of free public viewings. The schedule includes the following Fridays:
- Fri, May 30-Thu, Jul 31
- Tue, June 24
- Tue, June 245:00 pm
- Tue, June 24
- Fri, July 04
- Thu, Jul 17-Sun, Jul 20
- Sat, July 196:00 pm
- Mon, Jul 21-Tue, Jul 2210:00 am-7:00 pm
- Wed, July 231:00 pm
- Thu, July 247:30 pm
- Sat, July 267:30 pm
- Sat, July 268:15 pm
- Tue, July 29
- Sun, August 03
- Sat, August 099:00 am-2:00 pm
- Sat, August 167:45 pm
- Mon, August 18
- Mon, August 25
- Mon, September 01
- Sat, September 0611:00 am
- Mon, September 15
- Tue, September 30
- Mon, October 27
- Mon, November 03
- Wed, Nov 26-Sun, Nov 30
- Mon, December 01
- Sun, December 07
- Mon, December 15
- Fri, January 09
- Mon, January 12
- Mon, January 19
- Tue, January 20
- Sun, February 01
- Mon, February 16
- Tue, February 24
- Mon, Mar 09-Sun, Mar 15
- Fri, March 13
- Mon, March 16
- Mon, March 23
- Wed, March 25
- Fri, Apr 03-Sun, Apr 05
- Mon, April 06
- Mon, April 06
- Mon, April 13
- Fri, May 08
- Sun, May 10
- Mon, May 11
- Mon, May 25
- Mon, June 01
- Mon, June 08
- Fri, June 19
Viewings will be canceled if the sky is cloudy or there are high winds. Dates and times are subject to change.
All viewings are held at the telescope dome on the G. Jack Bradley Observation Deck, located on the west side of the college’s Nature Study Area, off Kean Avenue near 107th Street. Observers can park in lots east of Building P or in the west section of the Building D parking lot and then walk on the path to the observation deck. Children must be accompanied by an adult or supervisor.
Tom McCague, retired associate professor, hosts the viewings. An amateur astronomer for more than 40 years, McCague built the telescope using common hardware store items and donated it to the college. The telescope is a 6½-foot Newtonian reflecting model with a 13-inch diameter. Attendees will have a chance to look through the telescope and are encouraged to bring their own if they have one.
Observers should dress for the weather, wear insect repellent and bring binoculars if they have any. Occasionally, the International Space Station passes into view. This season should lend to good views of Jupiter, Saturn, galactic and globular star clusters, planetary nebulae, and satellites orbiting Earth.