The Denison University Observatory will be open, weather permitting, for community members to view the February skies from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 22). Of particular interest this month will be the planets Jupiter, Venus and Saturn and the Orion Nebula star formation. On hand to help interpret the sky views will be Denison astronomy students.

Director of the Observatory Lauren Jones also plans to open the observatory on March 29 and April 26, as well as presenting star shows in the Olin Science Hall Planetarium on March 8 and April 26. All events are free and open to the public.

Denison's Swasey Observatory opened in 1910. If skies are clear, visitors will use the Warner & Swasey 9" refracting telescope in the observatory's dome and an 8" telescope set up at ground level.

"I enjoy giving community members an opportunity to learn more about astronomy and to use the Denison telescope to view objects in the night sky in a new way," says Jones, who joined the Denison faculty this past fall. "These open houses also provide Denison students an opportunity to be involved in community service."

Jones earned her bachelor?s degree at Vassar College and three master of science degrees (Moscow State University, Russia; University of Alabama; and the University of Florida). She also earned her doctorate at the University of Florida, where she organized and taught weekly open houses at the university's teaching observatory.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575