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New Campus Observatory Proposed
Support our educational, research, and public outreach efforts
New Campus Observatory Proposed
Support our educational, research, and public outreach efforts
The 2023 annular eclipse event was a great success.
Albuquerque will have its second solar eclipse event in six months with a partial eclipse occurring on April 8. Plans are forming for another smaller-scale event in honor of this partial eclipse, where we will see 78% coverage. Please check back here for more info, including how to get your free eclipse viewers.
For inquiries, please email observatory@unm.edu.
Donations to support planning for a new UNM Campus Observatory are encouraged and appreciated.
Why do you need special glasses to view the sun?
You can damage your eyes by simply looking up at a solar eclipse. You must wear special eclipse glasses to look at a solar eclipse. The American Optometric Association suggests using a handheld solar viewer, special-purpose solar filters, or other ISO-certified filters if you plan to view a solar eclipse for even a short period of time.
UNM Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
1919 Lomas Blvd. NE, UNM North Campus
505-277-2616 (8AM-5PM)
Campus Observatory
The Observatory is a public service of the department.
At 3 pm on Fridays this page will show whether the observatory will be open that evening for our regular Friday night public viewing.
The UNM Campus Observatory provides an opportunity for UNM students, school groups, and the interested public to view the night skies in a convenient setting within Albuquerque. It is used for education during the week, but every Friday night during the UNM fall and spring semesters we have open for public viewing sessions, weather permitting.
When the sky is clear on a Friday evening during the UNM fall and spring semesters, we are open for public viewing sessions. The open nights are held 7-9 pm during standard time (1/19-3/8 2024), and during daylight savings time we will be open 8-10pm (3/15-5/10 2023). We are closed 3/15 due to UNM Spring Break.
At this time we have no special program or talks, it is simply a viewing session. Our telescope operators will tell you about the objects you view though, explain what they are, and answer questions. You may come and go as you please, there is no need to arrive right at the beginning or stay until the very end. There is no cost associated with the viewing sessions, it is free for all interested viewers of the universe.
The open nights are subject to weather conditions, and can be cancelled at the very last minute or closed in the middle of a session if clouds are moving in blocking the views.
Our facility is an observatory, where we view celestial objects in the night sky. We have a 14" Celestron Edge HD telescope on a platform accessible via a staircase. No lift is available.
Note that we do not have a planetarium, which is a facility projecting images of the sky onto a ceiling. Local planetariums can be found at the Museum of Natural History.
| Location |
On Yale Blvd. NE, 2 blocks north of Lomas Stucco building with white dome See map |
|---|---|
| Facilities | Celestron 14” EdgeHD acquired in 2018 |
| Parking | As of Spring 2023, there is a lot of construction going on around the observatory. The easiest way to get to the observatory is from University Blvd to turn East on Tucker Ave, and park at the parking lot at the SE corner of Yale and Tucker. Parking is free during Observatory hours. |
| Viewing Dates | Every Friday during the UNM Fall and Spring Semesters (except Thanksgiving, Fall and Spring Break) when the weather is clear. We are closed during the summer, and over UNM winter break. |
| Hours | When the skies are clear: 7-9 p.m. MDT (January 19 - March 8, 2024), and 8-10 p.m. MST (March 22 - May 3, 2024). Closed March 15 due to UNM Spring Break. |
| Admission | Open to the public as well as UNM students. Free of charge. |
| Group Arrangements | For groups of 15 or more, email at least 2 weeks in advance to make reservations: Campus Observatory. This helps us to avoid overcrowding a given night, causing long waiting times for our visitors. Otherwise, you do not need to to any bookings - just make sure to check our webpage by 3pm the day you are planning to visit us to confirm we will be open. |
| Safety Information | If we are open, the doors to the courtyard and the dome will be open, and red lights will be on inside. If the door to the courtyard is closed we are not open. It is possible for the weather to turn bad during a public evening, in which case we may close early. If you experience an emergency, call 911. Otherwise, the number for the campus police is 277-2241. |
| What’s in the sky right now? | Sky and Telescope’s skychart is adaptable for any location and any time. |
| Contact Us | If you have questions feel free to contact the Observatory via Campus Observatory. We will answer as fast as we can. |
Meade 14" LX200GPS Telescope:
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A mosaic image of the Moon made with our new CCD camera on the 14" Meade. Image by Daniel Zirzow and Mark Gorski |
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The Orion Nebula (M42) photographed through the 14" Meade by Daniel Zirzow and Dave Martin: |
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