Observatory

Our on-campus observatory offers the campus community and beyond hands-on learning opportunities and access to the celestial wonders.

Welcome to Our Observatory

At most schools, students majoring in astronomy and astrophysics have to leave campus to observe the night sky. But not at Widener.

Our Main Campus in Chester is home to an observatory for viewing the planets, stars, nebulae, clusters, galaxies, and more. Through our 16-inch computerized Meade Cassegrain reflecting telescope and several, smaller, 12-inch telescopes, you will gain hands-on experiences and get up-close-and-personal with all-things interstellar.

Our observatory is also a wonderful community resource. It's used by area school children and community groups, and is open to the public for stargazing sessions during the academic year.

Public Stargazing

Friends of the Widener Observatory:

As the risks from the COVID-19 Omicron variant have diminished somewhat over the past few weeks, we will be resuming in-person public stargazing sessions at the Widener Observatory. Registration links for the available Monday and Friday evening events are listed on this webpage. We will also consider requests for special group sessions on certain Mondays. In all cases, attendees must register in advance online. A maximum of 12 persons will be allowed to register for Monday sessions and 20 for Friday sessions.

Visitors are asked to be fully vaccinated (if eligible), and will be expected to follow all university policies related to the pandemic such as masking, distancing, and other required measures. With these restrictions, we hope to reduce the chances of transmission of COVID-19.

The observatory can be reserved for private group telescope viewing sessions. We consider requests for elementary and high school classes, Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, and other organizations. These sessions are generally held on Monday nights, separate from the public session. The maximum number (adults and children) we can accommodate is 25.

Contact Monica Connell at vmconnell@widener.edu for more details.

Monday Viewing Sessions: If the weather conditions are poor (due to clouds or rain), the Monday Twilight Sessions will not be held.

Friday Viewing Sessions: If the weather conditions are poor (due to clouds or rain), visitors are still welcome to view the facilities and see a planetarium show. However, if the weather conditions are severe or hazardous (thunderstorms, snow, ice storms), the entire Friday Evening Session will automatically be cancelled.

When weather conditions are uncertain, a decision will be made before 4 p.m., as to whether a session will be cancelled.