The University of Pennsylvania is one of eight Philadelphia area institutions participating in the "No Night without a Telescope" program. This event celebrates the International Year of Astronomy, which marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's seminal observations.

During the month-long No Night without a Telescope program, which runs from October 18 to November 24 (one full lunar cycle), there will be an astronomy event EVERY NIGHT at one of the participating institutions, whether it is clear or cloudy! A full schedule of events can be found here. Events at the University of Pennsylvania will take place on the following days:

                          Saturday October 24 from 7 to 9PM

On nights that are clear, the telescopes will be open for observing FREE OF CHARGE. Families with children of all ages are welcome! Please keep in mind that the telescopes are outdoors, so remember to dress appropriately. In the case of cloudy skies, we will have demonstrations available. If you are in doubt about the weather, please check the weather forecast.

The campus observatory is located on the roof of the David Rittenhouse Laboratory, which is at the corner of 33rd St. and Walnut St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Driving directions to David Rittenhouse Laboratory are here; directions up to the observatory are here. Our major pieces of equipment are an 8" diameter f/18 Clark refractor, a 10" diameter f/6.3 Meade reflector and an 8" Celestron reflector. We also have binoculars for general viewing, including one large 20x125 pair.