Welcome!

The Calvin College Observatory offers a free tour of the Universe to all visitors. During the summer we are open clear Wednesday nights, one hour past sunset until 12 pm. (This means opening at 9:56 pm EDT on May 13, shifting back to 10:10 pm EDT by the end of the month.)

May features: Saturn is the evening planet. Saturn is sporting a most unusual look. Every 15 years we view the ring system nearly edge on, and they appear as a paper thin line. This is also the best time to view the moons of Saturn (with the ring mostly out of the way). Another object worth a look is the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, M13.

LATEST NEWS: Calvin astronomy student Luke Leisman has just won a prestigious Goldwater scholarship (see the Calvin news story). Congratulations Luke! In this he joins Melissa Haegert, whose Goldwater scholarship from last year has been renewed for a second year.

PREVIOUS NEWS: A class of Calvin students set off for the American Southwest in January for a three week course "Astronomy in the Southwest". Relive the adventure through their daily web log.

Observatory Director: Prof. Larry Molnar 616-526-6341
Telescope Dome on campus: 616-526-6435

updated 5/10/09 by L. Molnar