DECATUR, Ill. – Public Observation Nights at Millikin University's Requarth Observatory are returning each Tuesday for spring 2025 beginning on Tuesday, March 4, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. (weather permitting). Public Observation Nights are free and open to the public.
Stargazing will take place on the roof of the Leighty-Tabor Science Center on Millikin's campus under the direction of students and Millikin School of Chemistry & Physics faculty. The Public Observation Nights will continue each Tuesday through Tuesday, May 13.
*NOTE: There will not be an Observation Night on Tuesday, March 18 to accommodate Millikin’s Spring Break.
The Leighty-Tabor Science Center is located just off Fairview Avenue in Decatur. The southeast entrance of the building will remain unlocked during Public Observation Nights to allow guests access to the Science Center’s elevator.
Millikin’s Public Observation Nights have provided thousands of people access to some of the best astronomical equipment in the state, including the largest publicly available telescope in Illinois. Housed on the fifth floor of the Leighty-Tabor Science Center, the Requarth Observatory was built along with the rest of the Leighty-Tabor Science Center in 2002.
In addition to the main telescope, the Leighty-Tabor Science Center also features an observation deck on the fifth floor that surrounds the dome's base. This observation deck provides a platform to set up the smaller 8" telescopes commonly used in introductory Astronomy courses.
