The Ghost of Daniel Kirkwood made a surprise visit to Kirkwood Observatory on Wednesday evening, Oct. 30, to the delight of staff and visitors alike. In celebration of Halloween, the observatory was decorated for the season with the traditional cobwebs, spiders, bats, and pumpkins, and ghouls, goblins, and witches welcomed visitors. It was a perfect night to view Saturn through the 12” refractor and to learn something about the famous Daniel Kirkwood, revered as the Kepler of North America in the 19th century. While, much to Daniel’s frustration, the Observatory wasn’t built until well after his demise in 1895, we hope he enjoyed the view of Saturn through his namesake telescope, and was able to peek at views of the Ring Nebula and other celestial delights through the more modern telescopes on the lawn outside. Daniel was last seen strolling down Kirkwood Avenue toward his resting place in Rose Hill Cemetery. We hope he’ll return next year at Halloween!
Eek what a scary (but very friendly) bunch of monster astronomers!!
Image Credit Anika Goel 
Look Out! Are they showing you the stars or something spooky!
Image Credit: Zohreh Safariforushani
Uh oh! The Witches are brewing something scary in the Kirkwood dome.
Image credit: Zohreh Safariforushani
Sure, they're all smiles now but WATCH OUT!
Image Credit: Zohreh Safariforushani
The College of Arts