UIS Observatory
@uisobservatory.bsky.social
This account does not express the opinions of the U of Illinois. It is the home of UIS Friday Night Star Parties ⭐️🎉 and other outreach and research by Prof Martin. Go.uis.edu/starparties
Last night we use the 20 inch telescope to take 10 images of fields and nearby galaxies M31 and M33 for luminous stars project.
This has been one of the best weeks in January for clear weather that we’ve had in several years.
This has been one of the best weeks in January for clear weather that we’ve had in several years.
January 15, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Last night we use the 20 inch telescope to take 10 images of fields and nearby galaxies M31 and M33 for luminous stars project.
This has been one of the best weeks in January for clear weather that we’ve had in several years.
This has been one of the best weeks in January for clear weather that we’ve had in several years.
We got another clear night yesterday. We used the 20 inch telescope to take images of nine fields in nearby galaxies M31 and M33 for the luminous stars project.
January 13, 2026 at 5:43 PM
We got another clear night yesterday. We used the 20 inch telescope to take images of nine fields in nearby galaxies M31 and M33 for the luminous stars project.
Last night we used the 20-inch telescope to image fields for the luminous stars project in nearby galaxies M31 and M33.
January 12, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Last night we used the 20-inch telescope to image fields for the luminous stars project in nearby galaxies M31 and M33.
Reposted by UIS Observatory
Jupiter is at opposition tonight, opposite the Sun as seen from Earth; exactly so 3 a.m. EST Saturday morning the 10th (8h UT Jan 10th). Jupiter rises at sunset and blazes in Gemini near Pollux and Castor all night.
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 9 – 18
Jupiter is at opposition. Evenings are moonless, and the winter Milky Way arches high over your world. Betelgeuse stands over Sirius.
skyandtelescope.org
January 9, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Jupiter is at opposition tonight, opposite the Sun as seen from Earth; exactly so 3 a.m. EST Saturday morning the 10th (8h UT Jan 10th). Jupiter rises at sunset and blazes in Gemini near Pollux and Castor all night.
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
Thursday at #AAS247 is done. I liked the plenaries about NANOGrav and DESI but the Solar Motion Simulator from the morning astro education talks won the day for me.
github.com/jvriesem/sol...
github.com/jvriesem/sol...
GitHub - jvriesem/solar-motion-simulator: This repository contains code, plans and files for the Solar Motion Simulator created by Jess Vriesema.
This repository contains code, plans and files for the Solar Motion Simulator created by Jess Vriesema. - jvriesem/solar-motion-simulator
github.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Thursday at #AAS247 is done. I liked the plenaries about NANOGrav and DESI but the Solar Motion Simulator from the morning astro education talks won the day for me.
github.com/jvriesem/sol...
github.com/jvriesem/sol...
The highlight of Wednesday at #AAS247 was seeing my grad school classmate Jessica Gaskin. She is now the Associate Director for astrophysics at NASA. She’s going to going to make the 2030 decadalreview super fun.
January 8, 2026 at 2:22 PM
The highlight of Wednesday at #AAS247 was seeing my grad school classmate Jessica Gaskin. She is now the Associate Director for astrophysics at NASA. She’s going to going to make the 2030 decadalreview super fun.
My favorite on Tuesday at #AAS247 was the session on ethical frameworks for outer space. A really engaging panel of interdisciplinary experts answered questions about how to approach questions about the use of outer space beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.
January 7, 2026 at 4:51 PM
My favorite on Tuesday at #AAS247 was the session on ethical frameworks for outer space. A really engaging panel of interdisciplinary experts answered questions about how to approach questions about the use of outer space beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.
My #aas247 presentation is today at 2:50 pm in room 227. “The relative ages of luminous blue variable and B[e] supergiant populations in the LMC.”
January 7, 2026 at 3:07 PM
My #aas247 presentation is today at 2:50 pm in room 227. “The relative ages of luminous blue variable and B[e] supergiant populations in the LMC.”
The highlights of #AAS247 yesterday (Monday) for me were the Kavli lecture by Della-Giustina about Osiris-REX and the Binney’s plenary lecture about galaxy structure.
January 6, 2026 at 3:44 PM
The highlights of #AAS247 yesterday (Monday) for me were the Kavli lecture by Della-Giustina about Osiris-REX and the Binney’s plenary lecture about galaxy structure.
I’m at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society #aas247
I am chairing session 259 on Tuesday and presenting in session 358 on Wednesday.
Honestly I also really enjoy the plenary talks because I’m always learning current stuff in them that makes it into my lectures for classes.
I am chairing session 259 on Tuesday and presenting in session 358 on Wednesday.
Honestly I also really enjoy the plenary talks because I’m always learning current stuff in them that makes it into my lectures for classes.
January 5, 2026 at 1:51 AM
I’m at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society #aas247
I am chairing session 259 on Tuesday and presenting in session 358 on Wednesday.
Honestly I also really enjoy the plenary talks because I’m always learning current stuff in them that makes it into my lectures for classes.
I am chairing session 259 on Tuesday and presenting in session 358 on Wednesday.
Honestly I also really enjoy the plenary talks because I’m always learning current stuff in them that makes it into my lectures for classes.
Remembering Charlie Schweighauser in the year end Illinois Times.
www.illinoistimes.com/special-issu...
www.illinoistimes.com/special-issu...
CHARLES ARTHUR SCHEIGHAUSER - Illinois Times, the capital city's weekly source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture
Star prof He opened minds to worlds they had not imagined Charles Schweighauser of Pleasant Plains was born in Alton June 1, 1936, and died at home with his family in Pleasant Plains July 14, 2025. Kn...
www.illinoistimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Remembering Charlie Schweighauser in the year end Illinois Times.
www.illinoistimes.com/special-issu...
www.illinoistimes.com/special-issu...
We’re back! The repaired imaging camera passed testing with flying colors. Just in time to salvage a bit of the observing season for galaxies M31 and M33
December 19, 2025 at 4:17 PM
We’re back! The repaired imaging camera passed testing with flying colors. Just in time to salvage a bit of the observing season for galaxies M31 and M33
This is a stack of images for the campus observatory global meteor network meteor camera from the night of December 13 when the Geminid meteor shower peaked.
The meteors all appear to radiate away from a point off the top of the strip.
Link to the camera on the GMN network: go.uis.edu/campusgmn
The meteors all appear to radiate away from a point off the top of the strip.
Link to the camera on the GMN network: go.uis.edu/campusgmn
December 16, 2025 at 9:41 PM
This is a stack of images for the campus observatory global meteor network meteor camera from the night of December 13 when the Geminid meteor shower peaked.
The meteors all appear to radiate away from a point off the top of the strip.
Link to the camera on the GMN network: go.uis.edu/campusgmn
The meteors all appear to radiate away from a point off the top of the strip.
Link to the camera on the GMN network: go.uis.edu/campusgmn
Our first clear night in a while last night, and we used it to image fields in the Andromeda galaxy and the Triangulum galaxy four the luminous stars project. The updated camera worked great.
These are images taken with the wide field camera on the 20 inch telescope.
These are images taken with the wide field camera on the 20 inch telescope.
December 16, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Our first clear night in a while last night, and we used it to image fields in the Andromeda galaxy and the Triangulum galaxy four the luminous stars project. The updated camera worked great.
These are images taken with the wide field camera on the 20 inch telescope.
These are images taken with the wide field camera on the 20 inch telescope.
Just a few (hundred) meteors caught by the campus, observatory meteor camera during the peak of the Geminids last night.
globalmeteornetwork.org/weblog//US/U...
globalmeteornetwork.org/weblog//US/U...
December 15, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Just a few (hundred) meteors caught by the campus, observatory meteor camera during the peak of the Geminids last night.
globalmeteornetwork.org/weblog//US/U...
globalmeteornetwork.org/weblog//US/U...
We are getting ready for the maiden voyage tonight of our repaired CCD imaging camera. It’s the same E2V chip we had before and a brand new camera body from FLI. Wish us luck.
December 15, 2025 at 11:27 PM
We are getting ready for the maiden voyage tonight of our repaired CCD imaging camera. It’s the same E2V chip we had before and a brand new camera body from FLI. Wish us luck.
Best storm I ever saw was the Geminids falling at about 2 per minute. But these they notoriously defy prediction. Still worth just sticking your head out to check.
Just a reminder that this year's Geminids meteor shower peaks tomorrow night! Do you have a plan to try to catch the spectacle?
Dark Skies Should Make This Year’s Geminids Meteor Shower Spectacular. Here’s How to See Them
As far as annual meteor showers are concerned, 2025 has saved the best for last. This year’s Geminids are not to be missed
www.scientificamerican.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Best storm I ever saw was the Geminids falling at about 2 per minute. But these they notoriously defy prediction. Still worth just sticking your head out to check.
Reposted by UIS Observatory
Just a reminder that this year's Geminids meteor shower peaks tomorrow night! Do you have a plan to try to catch the spectacle?
Dark Skies Should Make This Year’s Geminids Meteor Shower Spectacular. Here’s How to See Them
As far as annual meteor showers are concerned, 2025 has saved the best for last. This year’s Geminids are not to be missed
www.scientificamerican.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Just a reminder that this year's Geminids meteor shower peaks tomorrow night! Do you have a plan to try to catch the spectacle?
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’ll see you for more star parties in the new year. Stay warm and wishing you clear skies until then.
December 10, 2025 at 9:00 PM
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’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.
December 8, 2025 at 11:36 PM
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
We will open at 5 PM and stay open until 6 PM or clouds over which ever happens first.
Go.uis.edu/starparties
December 8, 2025 at 10:43 PM
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
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.
Image taken with the UIS Research Observatory wide field camera.
December 6, 2025 at 8:53 PM
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.
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.
December 5, 2025 at 12:02 AM
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
Be sure to bundle up it’s gonna be cold on the roof.
Go.uis.edu/stsrparties
December 4, 2025 at 9:31 PM
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
Be sure to bundle up it’s gonna be cold on the roof.
Go.uis.edu/stsrparties