The weather is atrocious. So we are canceling after work star party for tonight (Dec 10) and tucking the telescope in under its blankets for a long winter nap. We’ll see you for more star parties in the new year. Stay warm and wishing you clear skies until then.

We caught some glimpses of Saturn tonight at after work star party through the clouds before it got thicker.

The weather is not perfect for after work star party tonight (Monday, December 8) but we are gonna give it a try. We will open at 5 PM and stay open until 6 PM or clouds over which ever happens first. Go.uis.edu/starparties

A pretty picture on a gray weekend. This is the double star cluster h & chi Persei. Look for it with binoculars under the W of Cassiopeia in the northeast this time of year. Image taken with the UIS Research Observatory wide field camera.

We saw Saturn at after work star party tonight. Student, Xyn Niewohner captured this image of Saturn, and five of its moons through our 14 inch telescope at the campus observatory.

After Work Starts Party for tonight December 4 is on! The weather is looking good and we are hopeful that will be able to share views of the Moon and Saturn. Be sure to bundle up it’s gonna be cold on the roof. Go.uis.edu/stsrparties

Clouds tonight (December 2). We will try again on Thursday (Dec 4) Go.uis.edu/starparties

Pretty obviously not good weather. So the after work star party for December 1 is canceled due to clouds. We will try again on Tuesday (12/2) and then later in the week on Thursday (12/4). As well as the 8th, 9th and 10th next week.

After work star parties at the UIS Campus Observatory this week are on Dec 1, 2, & 4 from 5-6 pm weather permitting. Everyone welcome. Entry through Library 5th floor. Go.uis.edu/starparties Mon + Tues look bad but got a shot 12/4. Next week we give try on 12/8, 12/9 & 12/10

The Moon 🌓 is near Saturn 🪐 tonight and tomorrow. Check out both with binoculars or a small telescope.

Join us the first two weeks in December for After Work Star Parties from 5-6 PM on the days listed weather permitting. Access to the campus Observatory during these events will be through the 5th floor of Brookens Library (not the usual start party entrance). Go.uis.edu/starparties

Our imaging camera has returned to us repaired! To prepare for putting it back into service I cleaned the filters in the filter wheel. The filters reflect the colors they don’t let through which is why the B filter looks gold and the R filter looks blue.

Our paper on the distribution of the most luminous stars in the LMC is published! Older stars have longer to wander from where they form. So a more dispersed population is older and the dispersion of different classes of stars informs their relative ages. doi.org/10.3847/1538...

Join us the first two weeks in December for After Work Star Parties from 5-6 PM on the days listed weather permitting. Access to the campus Observatory during these events will be through the 5th floor of Brookens Library (not the usual start party entrance). Go.uis.edu/starparties

I need everyone, esp anyone working in education or tech (but really everyone) to WATCH THIS CLIP of @drtanksley.bsky.social discussing the technologies infiltrating our schools & psyches and how she is addressing it with our young people. youtu.be/5mtcSL4S3HQ

Looks like we are in for some cloudy weather for at least a few days. Here are two shots we took last week of the Bow Tie nebula and the Orion Nebula.

Thursday I visited Christine Flynn’s fifth grade classroom at Saint Patrick elementary school in Springfield to demonstrate and explore how craters are formed. People ask, “how can we get to you to visit?”. The answer is “invite me!”

We had a good week at the Research Observatory with two clear nights and spectra for Psi Perseus and Beta Pisces. Capped the week Friday by hosting the campus interest group for an evening of telescope viewing through the 20-inch telescope.

A time lapse of the aurora display on the night of November 11, 2025 captured by the meteor camera at the UIS Field station at Lake Springfield.

For those of you who live north of town, the aurora are still going. That green glow on the northern horizon isn’t everyone in Lincoln, Il holding a glow stick. That is aurora.

Someone asked me what it meant that we’ve seen three spectacular aurora displays at latitude 40 N over the last two years. This about sums it up.

We're now at the time of year when Orion is nicely up in the east-southeast as early as 10 p.m. Late this evening you'll find it lower right of the Moon. skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne... . . #astronomy #stargazing #gemini #moon #orion

We used the 20-inch telescope last night to record spectra of the Be star Psi Persei.

The waxing gibbous Moon was bright and beautiful last night. We took this image with the wide field camera at the UIS research observatory. It was a productive night. We also took spectra of the star beta Pisces with the 20 inch telescope. Full moon (beaver moon) is tomorrow, November 5, 2025

The waxing gibbous Moon is out tonight, November 2, 2026. When I look at the Moon, I find the southwest corner of the Sea of Tranquility where the first people walked on the Moon and hope we get to that again someday soon. We’ve been waiting more than 50 years since the last crewed trip to the Moon.

Happy Halloween everyone. No star party tonight. We have finished our fall 2025 season. I’d like to share this article from the UIS observer about the October 3 Tsukimi Harvest Moon star party. uisobserver.com/news/2025/10...

It’s that time of year for mobiles in physics lab. This week the ASP 201 University physics students were applying an understanding of torque and balance to design their mobiles. Next week they will build them and we share the results.

A colorful star field on a dreary day. This is an image of the Starfield around star Pi Aquarius, which was imaged with the UIS research observatory wide field camera last Thursday while taking a spectrum of that star.

We are sorry to say that there are too many clouds for us tonight. Start party for October 24 has been canceled. Thank you to everybody for a wonderful fall 2025 season. If you want a star party fix follow the link below to a record recording of our October 3 star party. Go.uis.edu/starparties

The last Friday night star party of the 2025 season is tonight October 24 from 8-10PM at the UIS Campus Observatory weather permitting. Clouds are supposed to be moving in late this afternoon, but possible their arrival is delayed and we squeak in star party tonight. Go.uis.edu/starparties

Final star party of the fall 2025 Friday night star party season Oct 24 from 8 to 10 PM at the US campus Observatory weather permitting. Hoping clear weather we’ve enjoyed for several days lasts but it is not for certain. Check back here on Friday afternoon about the weather. Go.uis.edu/starparties

Last night we used the 20 inch telescope to gather spectra of the star 59 Cygni. We took the deep image of the field around 59 Cygni using the wide field camera in parallel.

On Tuesday, the introductory astronomy class went up to the campus Observatory to get a first hand look at the Sun through the solar telescope. Student Carl Bryant snapped this picture with his phone. Note all the prominences around the edge of the Sun.☀️

Let’s go! Next UIS Friday Night Star Party ⭐️🎉 is this Friday, October 24 from 8-10 pm at the Campus Observatory (weather permitting). Hoping for good weather 🤞 Go.uis.edu/starparties

A small group of Springfieldians gathered at the top of the hill in Centennial Park tonight to try to see Comet Lemmon. It was visible with binoculars but a real challenge with the unaided eye.

The Adler Planetarium is not on this platform so I am sharing their graphic, all credit to them. Comet Lemmon is getting brighter. You need a good flat northern horizon. Use the Big Dipper to find it. Ppl have told me they can’t see it yet naked eye but it is visible as a fuzz in photos.

No Star party tonight (October 17). Too cloudy. Try again next week. Go.uis.edu/starparties

Higher Education’s Compact with America: Shared Principles for the Common Good https://bit.ly/3WbZv8K

We are hoping for good weather tonight for Star Party but being realistic about the prospects for telescope viewing. If the weather is too cloudy, we will not open. A decision on that will be posted here by 6 PM. Go.uis.edu/starparties

Two events at the UIS Campus Observatory this week. Space & Astronomy interest group meeting on Thursday Oct 16, 12:30-1:30 pm Friday Star Party, Oct 17, 8-10 pm weather permitting Go.uis.edu/starparties

Disappointed we didn’t have star party last night, but here’s a picture of the Starburst Galaxy that we took with the wide field camera earlier in the week. It’s called the Starburst Galaxy because it holds the record for hosting the more supernova observed than any other galaxy at seven.

Mood: Clouds ☁️ Sorry no Star Party tonight (Oct 10). Too cloudy for telescope viewing ☁️☁️☁️ There is a capture of a previous virtual Star Party at the link for anyone needing a fix. We will try again on Oct 17! Go.uis.edu/starparties

Tonight’s Star Party is weather permitting (Friday, Oct 10 from 8-10 PM). We are waiting to make a decision on the weather by 6 pm, but right now that forecast is for clouds ☁️☁️. If it is cloudy at star party time we will not be open. Check back here for updates. Go.uis.edu/starparties

The next Star Party is this Friday, Oct 10 from 8 to 10 PM at the UIS Campus Observatory weather permitting. Check back here on Friday to get information about the weather. Go.uis.edu/starparties

Thanks to the 109 people who showed up tonight to share a views of the Moon during theTsukimi Harvest Moon Star Party. A recording of the live stream can be found here: www.youtube.com/live/Jav_91m...

The weather is looking good and we are a go for star party between 8 and 10 PM tonight at the campus Observatory.

We are going to live stream the star party tonight on our YouTube channel to join that between 8-10 CDT at this link Go.uis.edu/virtualstarparty

Tonight (Oct 3) is the night for our Tsukimi Harvest Moon Star Party at the campus Observatory between 8 and 10 PM. The forecast looks good. We will be open regardless of the weather. Tonight’s star party is in memory of Denyce Gammell sponsored by Majorie Wallé, EdD. Go.uis.edu/starparties

Special star party Friday Oct 3 featuring Moon viewing in the tradition of the Japanese autumn festival of Tsukimi in memory of Denice Gammel sponsored by Majorie Wallé Ed.D. This will be held rain or shine, but the weather forecast for Friday right now is very favorable Go.uis.edu/starparties

This is the Helix Nebula imaged by the UIS observatory wide field camera. The Helix looks a lot like its cousin, the Ring Nebula because they are both planetary nebula formed by dying stars, becoming white dwarfs.