March 7 - 9 pm; April 1 through September 30 hours: 9 - 11 pm; October, November (1st Weds only in Nov.) hours: 7 - 9 pm. Closed 3rd Weds. of November (reserved for U of W freshmen groups), December through February.

Fees and Parking:

There is no charge for the Observatory open houses (although donations to help our outreach efforts are always appreciated!), but there is a parking fee if you arrive before 9 pm. Finding parking on campus between the hours of 7 and 9 pm is getting very difficult. Lots N5, N4, N1 are the ones closest to the Observatory, but these fill up fast with students in night classes. You may wish to consider the University Book Store's parking lot, and the one just south of it (between 41st and 43rd). The Observatory can be reached on foot by heading east from NE 43rd, walking just north of the new W. H. Gates Hall.

Making Reservations:

Are reservations needed? The programs at the Observatory have become very popular, and we are now recommending reservations for everyone. Although we usually have a line-up for getting up to the dome to look through the 110-year-old refractor (and find out about astronomy from the Seattle Astronomical Society volunteers) and the line moves fairly quickly (only a dozen at a time can be in the dome), the classroom can hold only 40 people. Reservations are especially needed if you are bringing a group of **10 or more** people. Please reserve your spots for the classroom astronomy talk in advance by sending Dr. Ana Larson an email: anamunn -at- u.washington.edu. Remember, the Jacobsen Observatory is open only on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, March 1 - November (closed 3rd Wednesday in November), and only at night. [March, October, November (1st Weds): 7 - 9 pm; April - September: 9 - 11 pm]

You may choose to visit the dome and hopefully view through the telescope either before the talk or afterwards. The talk, given once at ~7:15 pm or ~9:15 pm, is approximately 30 minutes long (unless it is cloudy, in which case the talk may go longer).

UW Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs): We will be able to accommodate only 1 FIG per regular open house Fall Quarters. We have reserved November 19, however, for FIGs, and will be able to accommodate 2 - 3 groups, depending on the number of students in each group. Please email anamunn -at- astro.washington.edu. Reservations will be on a first-come-first-gets basis.

Our Quarterly Jacobsen Observatory Newsletter We have a quarterly Observatory Newsletter that features numerous articles of interest. These articles are written by the undergraduate volunteers and reflect their commitment to bringing astronomy to everyone. If you would like to be notified of future issues, please sign up for our email list by sending a quick note to Dr. Ana Larson at anamunn - at - u.washington.edu. [We hope to get the newsletters sent out quarterly.]

[back to observatory home page]

UW Astronomy Home Page