The Public Open Night at the Observatory is a chance for people to come observe the night sky through telescopes and binoculars and see things they otherwise might not get to see, and learn some astronomy as well. The Open Nights are held most Wednesday evenings throughout the year, weather permitting.

The program starts promptly at 7:30pm during the fall and winter months, and 8:30pm during the spring and summer months.

Please arrive early as there is no admittance once the program begins.

We start admitting ticketed guests 10 minutes before the program begins.

Right before the program starts and after all the ticketed guests that are present are admitted, we will admit any non-ticketed guests until we reach capacity.

No unaccompanied minors will be admitted.

Tickets go on sale the Thursday before Open Night at 11am. Limit of 5 tickets per person.

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Weather

The weather is always a factor when observing. Unfortunately we can’t control the weather and we can’t observe when there are clouds, haze, or rain; so when the weather is bad, the Open Night will be canceled. Predicting the weather in New England isn’t easy, so we won’t know if the Open Night will be held or not until the day of the program. This lets us make the decision as late as possible while still giving those who live farther away time to get here. Remember, it gets very cold in Boston in the winter and the telescopes are outside, so dress warmly.

To find out if the Open Night will be held, call our information number at 617-353-2630, or check our Twitter feed (twitter.com/buobservatory) or Mastadon feed (https://mastodon.social/@buobservatory): no earlier than two hours before the scheduled starting time.

Location

The Public Open Night is held at the Coit Observatory at Boston University. We are located at 725 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, MA, above the Astronomy Department. The stairwell up to the Observatory is on the fifth floor just to the left of room 520.

Unfortunately, there is no disabled access to the Observatory.

Boston University Open Night