Kirkwood Observatory is open to the public each Wednesday evening from Spring after Break until before Thanksgiving, weather permitting. No reservations are required.

Kirkwood is located at the western edge of Dunn’s Woods, behind Bryan Hall, near the intersection of Indiana Avenue and 4^th Street.

Group tours are available by contacting the Astronomy department at (812) 855-6911, or by email to astoutre [at] iu.edu.

Note that Kirkwood Observatory is not handicapped-accessible due to stairs to access the lobby, the observing floor, and the solar telescope. Viewing objects through the telescope also often requires the use of steps or ladders. A virtual tour is available for those unable to access the observatory.

Due to close quarters and number of visitors, masks are required while visiting the observatory.

The schedule of times varies with the season and is given below. Due to Daylight Savings Time in Indiana, the sky is not dark enough for observing with the telescope until late in the evening. We have scheduled the Open Night hours as early as we can and still have the sky dark enough to view with the Kirkwood telescope.

Open houses may be cancelled on short-notice due to unfavorable weather conditions. This page will be updated with weather conditions and closings two hours before Kirkwood Observatory is scheduled to open. For more information, check out the @iuastro on Bluesky at bsky.app .