Information on Group Reservations
School groups and other organizations
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 ~120-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 **8 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 ~7:10 pm or ~9:10 pm, is approximately 30 minutes long (unless it is cloudy, in which case the talk may go longer).
Parking for Buses
The University of Washington has lots of information on parking on campus for school and other bus transportation. Please
visit the UW Parking Services web site for complete
instructions and contact/permit information.
Home-Schoolers
We are especially glad to welcome home-schooling groups to our observatory and can work with the teachers on topics that they would like presented. We also have a wide variety of activities and labs that we could include in the evening's program.
Freshman Interest Groups
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.
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