Stargaze at Moraine Valley Community College's 'Open Telescopic Viewing Nights'

PALOS HILLS, IL -- You may not see the moon in the seventh house or Jupiter align with Mars, but you may see the International Space Station pass into view on Moraine Valley Community College’s telescope open viewing nights.

MVCC has announced its stargazing schedule for 2017. This is the fifteenth year of free public viewings. The schedule includes the following Fridays, which have also been posted on the Patch calendar:

April 14, 8 p.m.
May 5, 8:15 p.m.
June 2, 8:45 p.m.
July 14, 8:40 p.m.
August 25, 8 p.m.
September 29, 7:15 p.m.
October 27, 6:15 p.m.

Viewings will be canceled if the sky is cloudy or there are high winds. Dates and times are subject to change.

All viewings are held at the telescope dome on the G. Jack Bradley Observation Deck, located on the west side of the college’s Nature Study Area, off Kean Avenue near 107th Street.

Observers can park in lots east of Building P or in the west section of the Building D parking lot and then walk on the path to the observation deck. Children must be accompanied by an adult or supervisor.

Tom McCague, retired associate professor, hosts the viewings. An amateur astronomer for more than 40 years, McCague built the telescope using common hardware store items and donated it to the college. The telescope is a 6½-foot Newtonian reflecting model with a 13-inch diameter. Attendees will have a chance to look through the telescope and are encouraged to bring their own if they have one.

Observers should dress for the weather, wear insect repellent and bring binoculars if they have any. Occasionally, the International Space Station passes into view. This season should lend to good views of Jupiter, Saturn, galactic and globular star clusters, planetary nebulae, and satellites orbiting Earth.

For more information, visit Moraine Valley Community College.

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