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IU Department of Astronomy 🔭
@iuastro.bsky.social
110 followers 4 following 130 posts
🔭 Department of Astronomy at Indiana University Bloomington
📍Home to the Kirkwood Observatory
🌌 Profile picture by Lexi Gault

Learn More About Us Here!
https://astro.indiana.edu/
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iuastro.bsky.social
Our next Solar Saturday will be held this Saturday, November 15th from 1 to 3pm! The weather is looking cloudy for tomorrow, but check around 11am on November 15th. Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope!☀️
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
November 15, 2025 at 1:31 AM
iuastro.bsky.social
Our next Solar Saturday will be held this Saturday, November 8th from 1 to 3pm! The weather is looking cloudy for tomorrow, but check around 11am on November 8th. Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope!☀️
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
November 7, 2025 at 11:40 PM
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Kirkwood Observatory is scheduled to be open tonight from 8:00 - 9:30 pm! Although the weather looks cloudy - we will be open for our special Halloween event! Costumes are encouraged. Please stop by for a fun a night full of spooky astronomy extravaganza!
October 29, 2025 at 4:31 PM
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Join us tomorrow, 8:00-9:30 PM, for a special Halloween-themed Kirkwood night! Costumes are encouraged!
Event flyer: Kirkwood Halloween night, October 29, 8:00-9:30 PM. Family friendly observing night at the Kirkwood Observatory! Costumes are encouraged!
October 28, 2025 at 2:22 PM
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Our next Solar Saturday will be held this Saturday, October 25th from 1 to 3pm! The weather is looking cloudy for tomorrow, but check around 11am on October 25th. Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope!☀️
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
October 24, 2025 at 10:03 PM
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Our next Solar Saturday on Saturday, October 18th is CANCELLED! Check back here next week for our next Sun event on October 25th!☀️
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
October 17, 2025 at 12:40 AM
iuastro.bsky.social
Our next Solar Saturday will be held this Saturday, October 4th from 1 to 3pm! The weather is looking semi-clear for tomorrow, but check around 11am on October 4th. Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope!☀️
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
October 3, 2025 at 11:30 PM
iuastro.bsky.social
We are celebrating National Latine History Month with an evening of astronomy in Spanish! Join us on October 1, 2025 for talks in Spanish by our Hispanic researchers, followed by guided tours of Kirkwood Observatory in both English and Spanish. The talks begin at 7 PM in Swain West 130.
Astronomy evening in Spanish. Join us for astronomy talks in Spanish by our Hispanic faculty and graduate researchers, followed by guided tours of Kirkwood Observatory in both English and Spanish. The event is Wednesday, October 1, 2025. The talks will be held in Swain West 130 beginning at 7 PM, with Kirkwood Observatory tours beginning at 8:30 PM. The first talk is “Mundos fuera de lugar: los exoplanetas más extraños del universo”/“Worlds Out of Place: The Strangest Exoplanets in the Universe” by Prof. Cristobal Petrovich. Abstract: “Hemos encontrado planetas tan extremos que parecen sacados de la ciencia ficción: algunos orbitan pegados a estrellas moribundas, otros giran alrededor de dos soles como en las películas, y algunos incluso deambulan solos por la galaxia sin un astro que los ilumine. En esta charla exploraremos estos mundos extraordinarios y veremos cómo desafían nuestras ideas sobre el origen y la diversidad de los planetas.” The second talk is “Incubadoras planetarias: donde nacen los mundos”/“Planetary nurseries: cradles of new worlds” by PhD student Agustin Heron. Abstract: “En las últimas décadas se han descubierto miles de exoplanetas, transformando nuestra visión del cosmos y situando al Sistema Solar en un contexto más amplio y diverso. Pero aún queda una pregunta clave: ¿cómo se forman los planetas? En esta charla exploraremos sus orígenes y veremos cómo las observaciones actuales y simulaciones computacionales revelan las primeras etapas de formación planetaria.”
September 29, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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Our next Solar Saturday will be held this Saturday, September 27th from 1 to 3pm! The weather is looking semi-clear for tomorrow, but check around 11am on September 27th. Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope!☀️
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
September 26, 2025 at 8:41 PM
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The 2025 Edmondson Public Lecture will be held on October 2nd at 6 PM in Swain West 007. This year’s speaker is Professor Daniel Eisenstein, who will present his talk titled Looking Into the First Billion Years With JWST.
Flyer for the 2025 Edmondson Public Lecture, which will be held on Thursday, October 2 at 6 PM in Swain West 007, with a reception to follow in Swain West 130. The talk will be given by Professor Daniel Eisenstein of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Title: “Looking Into the First Billion Years with JWST.” Abstract: “JWST is giving us an unprecedented view into the early phases of galaxy formation in the Universe. Prof. Eisenstein will explain why a large cold infrared-optimized telescope in space has been the dream of extragalactic astronomers for 25 years. He’ll guide us through some of the telescope’s exciting discoveries, especially the discovery and confirmation of the earliest known galaxies with the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey. These discoveries are changing our views of the formation of galaxies.”
September 25, 2025 at 2:45 PM
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Our next Solar Saturday will be held this Saturday, September 13th from 1 to 3pm! The weather is looking semi-clear for tomorrow, but check around 11am on September 13th. Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope!☀️
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
September 12, 2025 at 10:05 PM
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Our next Solar Saturday will be held this Saturday, September 6th from 1 to 3pm! The weather is looking clear for tomorrow, but check around 11am on September 6th. Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope!☀️

Follow us on Bluesky!🦋
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
September 5, 2025 at 11:06 PM
iuastro.bsky.social
Our first Solar Saturday of the semester will be held this Saturday, August 30th from 1 to 3pm! The weather is looking clear for tomorrow, but check around 11am on August 30th. Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope!
Flyer for “Solar Saturdays” presented by the IU Astronomy Department at Kirkwood Observatory. Event runs from 1–3 PM on August 30; September 6, 13, and 27; October 4, 18, and 25; November 8 and 15. Large orange text reads “Solar Saturdays.” A graphic of flames decorates the bottom. Top right corner shows the Indiana University Solar Saturdays logo with an observatory dome. A circular icon at bottom left says “Weather Permitting!” with a cloud, sun, and lightning graphic. Bottom right text: “Take a look at the Sun through Kirkwood’s solar telescope!” Social media and website info follow: find updates on the website, Bluesky (@IUASTRO), and a QR code.
August 30, 2025 at 2:31 AM
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IU Astronomy was well represented at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Anchorage, Alaska, June 8-12, 2025! astro.indiana.edu/news-events/...
IU Astronomy grad students Lexi Gault, Anika Goel, and Kristin Baker in front of an image of galaxies. They are holding up the letters "A", "A", and "S" from the American Astronomical Society logo.
August 5, 2025 at 3:42 PM
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Kirkwood Observatory is scheduled to be open Saturday (5/10) from 1:00 to 3:00 pm for our LAST Solar Saturday of the semester! The current forecast is partly cloudy, but check back around 11:00 am on 5/10 for the final call! ☀️
May 9, 2025 at 9:40 PM
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Kirkwood Observatory is scheduled to be open Saturday (4/26) from 1:00 to 3:00 pm for our next Solar Saturday of the semester! The current forecast is looking clear, but check back around 11:00 am on 4/26 for the final call! ☀️
April 26, 2025 at 3:33 AM
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Our Star Party event is tonight! 🌟

Come by and enjoy our viewing stations, free snacks, and random astronomy knowledge!

We look forward to seeing you soon!
April 12, 2025 at 6:44 PM
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Kirkwood Observatory is scheduled to be open Saturday (4/12) from 1:00 to 3:00 pm for our next Solar Saturday of the semester! The current forecast is looking clear, but check back around 11:00 am on 4/12 for the final call! ☀️
April 11, 2025 at 11:29 PM
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Reminder! Our Star Party will be happening this Saturday at the North-end of Yellowwood Lake! If you are interested in coming please fill out our interest form so we can bring enough snacks!

We look forward to seeing you all there and having an astronomical time!
April 9, 2025 at 5:11 PM
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‼️IMPORTANT UPDATE‼️

Our Star Party has been rescheduled to next week (4/12) due to flooding and severe weather concerns. It will remain at the same time and location.

We apologize for the inconvenience but hope to see you next week for some fun observing!
April 5, 2025 at 2:12 PM
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‼️IMPORTANT UPDATE‼️

In our last post for our Star Party we attached a poster with a QR code that recently got disabled. The poster below’s QR code is working properly. Nothing else about our event has changed but check back later this week for any weather related updates!

Thanks all!
March 31, 2025 at 2:17 PM
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Kirkwood Observatory is scheduled to be open Saturday (3/29) from 1:00 to 3:00 pm for our next Solar Saturday of the semester! The current forecast is looking clear, but check back around 11:00 am on 3/29 for the final call! ☀️
March 29, 2025 at 2:10 AM
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We’re planning a party, a star party! ✨💫

Head on over to Yellowwood State Forest on April 5th from 9-11 to take a look at the night sky with astronomical experts! Learn about naked eye observing, astrophotography, and much more!

Fill out our interest form so we can bring enough snacks and drinks!
March 24, 2025 at 7:22 PM
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Kirkwood Observatory is scheduled to be open Saturday (3/15) from 1:00 to 3:00 pm for our first Solar Saturday of the semester! The current forecast is possibly overcast, but check back around 11:00 am on 3/15 for the final call! ☀️
March 15, 2025 at 1:12 AM
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Our first Solar Saturday of the year will be held this Saturday, 3/1! Come on out and look at the Sun through our solar telescope while learning all about it. We hope to see lots of you there to help support and celebrate this event series' grand revival!
February 27, 2025 at 8:54 PM