Events
Public Astronomy Observations
SIU Physics hosts free monthly public astronomy observations on the Neckers rooftop observation deck in partnership with the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois. In addition, observations for special events such as solar and lunar eclipses, and the annual Southern Illinois Star Party are hosted on and off campus. For a full list of in person events, see: https://eclipse.siu.edu/public-astronomy-observations/.
Event Livestreaming
Selected special events at SIU include programs and telescope feeds that are livestreamed to @NASASolarSTEAM on YouTube. Check the SolarSTEAM website for more information.
About the Neckers Building Observation Deck
The observation deck is 624 square feet in size. It is built out of 2" thick rubber matting for vibration isolation. The primary telescope is a 14" Meade LX600. This computer guided telescope is used for all observation events as well as the lab portion of PHYS 103 (Astronomy). Several additional scopes are setup for observations as needed including Celestron 8" SCTs, a Coronado SolarMax II, and a Stellarvue SV105 Raptor (105mm refractor).
SIU Farms Astronomy Observation Area
Located 2 miles west of the main SIUC campus, this is a remote, semi-dark observation site. The area contains 10 concrete telescope pads and a large field. It is used for large scale star parties and public observations, Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois club observations and research. The site is located on Autumn Point Road at GPS coordinates: 37.70983444852103, -89.2544444. Note that parking is limited at the site. For large observations and star parties, shuttles will run from the SIU campus parking lot #63 to the site.