IU Kokomo Observatory to host first Open House of the academic year Sunday

KOKOMO, Ind. - The Indiana University Kokomo Observatory will host its first free open house of the academic year at 8 p.m. on Sunday, September 8.

Patrick Motl, professor of physics, will begin the open house with discussion of the Event Horizon Telescope project, giving an update on efforts to imagine the region around the super massive black hole in our galaxy and in the galaxy Messier 87.

After the presentation, stargazers may be able to see the moon and the constellations of the summer triangle overhead, with Venus setting at sunset and Saturn rising later in the evening, through the Observatory's telescopes. They include a six-inch Takahashi refracting telescope and a 16-inch Meade reflecting telescope mounted together. The Takahashi provides exceptionally sharp images of planets, while the Meade allows viewers to see fainter objects in the sky, due to its larger light-collecting area.

Observation will continue through 10 p.m., weather permitting.

Additional open houses are planned from 8 to 10 p.m. on October 13, March 9, April 13, and May 18; and from 7 to 9 p.m. on November 10, December 8, January 9, and February 9.

The Observatory is at 2660 S. Washington Street. Free parking is available on campus.

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.