Pictures from the UIS space in astronomy group visit to Fermi Lab. We learned a lot about muons, neutrinos, dark matter and particle accelerators. I highly recommend this toward anybody who has any interest in high energy physics. It’s truly a unique facility based right here in Illinois.

Today the campus Space & Astronomy club is at Fermi Lab in Batavia, IL to take a college tour.

Saturn and Venus are very close in the western sky after sunset tonight (2026 March 8). They are only 10 degrees above the sunset. But Venus is very bright so with a flat western horizon and clear weather you have a shot to see. Neptune is nearby but too faint in twilight even through a telescope.

Every year people ask me why we do Daylight Savings Time. There is no astronomical reason for DST. The reasons we have it are political. So please ask your member of Congress.

Last night I was at the Chatham Public library talking to a bunch of enthusiastic kids about how to find stars and constellations in the sky that Harry Potter characters are named after. We had a fun wide ranging discussion about a lot of different astronomy topics.

I spent a lovely hour this evening at the Chatham Public library, talking with a group of enthusiastic young people about their interest in astronomy.

We will be at Tri-City Elementary Science Night this evening for 6-7:30 pm giving out Star Party posters and talking about the Artemis 2 Moon mission.

There is a total lunar eclipse tonight but between it being visible in Illinois from 3-6 am -and- the solidly cloudy weather, we have decided not to over-hype it for Central Illinois www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/luna...

The Orion Nebula through the 14-inch at Star Party last night. Not the most super spectacular image of this awesome nebula but closely approximating what the human eye sees through the telescope. This nebula is pretty bright so you can still see a pretty good amount even with pair of binoculars.

It was good to see the 104 ppl who showed up for Star Party ⭐️🎉 last night. Great weather and great crowd! We will do it again on March 27. Here is a link to the archived live stream from the 14-inch telescope dome: www.youtube.com/live/b7whDSN...

Star party is ON for tonight February 27! We have skies and nice temperatures. Doors open at 8 PM and you can show up anytime between 8 and 10 PM to get a look through the telescopes which will be focusing on the moon Jupiter and the Orion nebula tonight. Info: go.uis.edu/starparties

There’s a star party tonight!!! 🎉⭐️🎉⭐️⭐️ Join us at the UIS campus, Observatory between 8 and 10 PM for views of the Moon, Jupiter, and the Orion nebula. Info at this link go.uis.edu/starparties People who can’t make it in person can join our YouTube live stream at go.uis.edu/virtualstarp...

We snapped this picture of the moon last night while we were using the 20 inch telescope to also take spectra of Epsilon Auriga and Kappa Draconis.

I almost forgot to share this awesome shot of the Moon that we took last Tuesday with the UIS Research Observatory wide field camera.

The first star party of 2026 is this Friday, February 27 at the UIS Observatory from 8-10 PM weather permitting. The weather forecast is for clear skies and temperatures in the 50s. The Orion Nebula,Pleiades star cluster, the moon and the planet Jupiter are up for viewing go.uis.edu/starparties

This huge nebula is always a subject of discussion when we are imaging M33. Can’t miss it even from a distance of 3 million light years.

We use the 20 inch telescope last night to take Spectra of two old friends: Epsilon Aurigae and Kappa Draconis.

The first Star Party ⭐️🎉 of spring 2026 is this Friday, February 27 from 8-10 pm at the campus observatory, weather permitting. go.uis.edu/starparties

NASA is now targeting the next launch opportunities for the #ArtemisII lunar mission starting from 1 April. 🔗 www.nasa.gov/blogs/missio...

Artemis 2 might be delayed until April. Will know for certain if they start the rollback to the VAB and/or release the crew from quarantine. www.nasa.gov/blogs/missio...

Mercury, Saturn and the Moon seen through the 14-inch telescope at the Campus Observatory this evening. Mercury is red and rainbow colored because of the atmospheric refraction near the horizon, like a sunset.

See Mercury tonight (Feb 20)! The weather in central Illinois may be clear. Find a place with a flat western horizon. Mercury will be bright and visible once the sky gets dark enough around 6:10 pm. Venus will be harder to pick out below Mercury. Saturn higher up will become visible as sky darkens

NASA leadership on Thursday outlined how 2024’s glitch-plagued Boeing Starliner mission jeopardized astronaut welfare and the space agency’s culture of safety and accountability

Pictures of the conjunction of the Moon 🌙 and Mercury on the evening of February 18, 2026 CST. The Moon moves on, but Mercury continues be above the setting Sun in the evening sky for the next week.

Tonight after sunset, the crescent moon 🌒 will appear in the western sky right next to the planet Mercury. Venus and Saturn may also be visible below and above Mercury. Best time to go out is about 30 minutes after sunset. You’ll need a flat western horizon.

NASA is targeting 19 February to start the second Wet Dress Rehearsal for the #ArtemisII lunar spaceflight.

Mercury and Saturn were visible after sunset last night. Venus was too low and behind the trees from this vantage point. Look for these all week long. The crescent Moon 🌙 joins them Tuesday and Wednesday. youtu.be/cPrMQaFWPP4?...

Three bright planets visible right after sunset in the western sky this week. Venus is really bright, but will be hard to pick out closest to the horizon. Mercury is above Venus and above that is Saturn. The Moon 🌙 joins this trio on Tuesday and Wednesday.

These pictures of the Fossil Nebula are composed from images taken at the UIS Research Observatory on Wednesday night.

The 2026 Star Party posters are officially released! Free 13x19 copies to good homes that will display them. Contact us if you want one. Info about upcoming Star Parties this Spring found here: Go.uis.edu/starparties

A very good opportunity to see Mercury is coming up in mid-February 2026. It reaches greatest elongation on Feb 19, appearing 18 deg from the Sun. Best viewing is about 30-40 minutes after sunset on Feb 16-22 much brighter Venus will be below Mercury making it easier to pick out in twilight.

Just two days to the premier of the 2026 UIS star party poster! Go.uis.edu/starparties

We took advantage of the first clear night that has not been super cold in a while to take eight images of four fields in galaxy M33 for the luminous stars project.

The aurora last night in Beaver, Alaska was just incredible. This is a real-time video (not sped up) of the crazy motion I saw. Also, look how BRIGHT it is, wow!

The 2026 UIS Star Party poster will be premiered on February 11! Here is a retrospective of the previous 16 years of Star Party posters.

It's just over a year since we joined @bsky.app. Check out our updated #StarterPack and see what's changed!

Launch for the Artemis II mission has been pushed back to March at earliest. Attached is a graphic with the dates and times for possible launch windows in March and April with times given in CST and CDT.

So four more weeks of winter until next launch attempt 🤷‍♂️ I’m not sure what counts as an “inconsequential” H2 leak near a giant rocket.

The “wet” dress rehearsal for Artemis II continues today. The tanking tests happen between 9:30 - noon CST. Pending the outcome the first possible launch window is Feb 8. Watch a live view of the pad at: www.youtube.com/live/qNr5Dtm...

@bot.astronomy.blue signup

The “wet” dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission has started. Tank filling and the pressure tests Monday morning (Feb 2). Live on the YouTube NASA feed and more info including a schedule at the link below. If there are no holds T-0 is midnight CST on Feb 3 www.youtube.com/live/qNr5Dtm...

🌟 Over the next few hours, the Moon will appear close to Jupiter -- the largest planet in the Solar System. Currently in Gemini, Jupiter is easy to find tonight -- it's the bright white "star" near the Moon. Closest approach is at 4h UT on 31 January. Simply look up and enjoy the view! 🔭 #stargazing

The gibbous Moon shines amidst Jupiter, Pollux, and Castor tonight. That's their order of brightness, fr0m brightest to faintest. Can you get a photo that shows all of them well, despite their vast brightness differences? skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...

A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, and that’s why last weekend’s winter storm dumped more snow, sleet and freezing rain than similar weather systems might have in the past

As Artemis II sits on the launch pad we should remember Challenger as well as Apollo 1 and Columbia were all preventable incidents were people failed to do their jobs. Astronauts accept some risk but those incidents were *not* inevitable.

I think we broke the thermometer in the research observatory dome that’s how cold it is.

A fast moving coronal mass ejection from the Sun slammed into the Earth’s magnetic field a few hours ago. There is a chance aurora will be visible in Illinois after sunset. For updates: www.swpc.noaa.gov

REGISTER TODAY! Free tickets to the 9th annual Central Illinois STEM Fair are available at buff.ly/th0B7li

This is an image of nebula IC 2162 taken with the UIS observatory wide field camera last Wednesday night. IC 2162 is a region of ionized gas in the constellation Orion lit up by recent star formation. Best estimates put its distance at about 8000 ly away.

Artemis II is rolling out to the pad at Cape Canaveral today (Saturday 1/17). In a few short weeks, a launch window opens for sending four astronauts around the Moon and back. Live feed of the move on YouTube www.youtube.com/live/nrVnsO_...