Observatory

Our next public night is Wednesday, August 19, weather allowing.

See below regarding picking up eclipse glasses and the partial solar eclipse event on Wednesday, August 12!

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, a partial Solar Eclipse will be visible from Bridgewater from 1:03 - 2:46 pm. Looking at an eclipse without proper eye protection can permanently damage your eyesight (see NASA's Eclipse Viewing Safety - NASA Science page for more information!). The BSU observatory is providing two ways to help you safely view the eclipse:

• Solar Glasses Pre-Eclipse Pick-Up!
  • We have 900 safe solar viewing glasses to give out! These glasses have been certified to meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard.
  • Glasses will be available to pick up at the following times:
    • Monday, August 10 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
    • Tuesday, August 11 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
  • Glasses will be given out first-come, first-serve. We will announce it online if we run out.
  • If picking up for a group/family, a maximum of 4 glasses is allowed.
  • You will also receive an eclipse safety sheet with each pair of glasses.
  • All glasses must be inspected for damage immediately prior to use. Damaged glasses are unsafe.
  • Pick-Up Location: Dana Mohler-Faria Science and Mathematics center room 214 (2nd floor just to the left of the main elevators).
• Eclipse Viewing Event!
  • The BSU Observatory will be open from 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm on Wed., August 12, weather allowing.
  • Watch this site or our social media for our weather decision on the morning of the event.
  • We have several telescopes and projectors capable of safely showing views of the Sun during an eclipse. We'll set these up on the observing decks on the 5th floor of the Science and Mathematics Center. You will be welcome to get in line for a view!
    • We have limited capacity this summer due to staffing, so lines may be quite long. We appreciate your patience!
  • We will reserve 100 pairs of glasses for the event, first-come first-serve. You are welcome to take the glasses outside the building onto the lawn or sidewalk to get a view!

We look forward to enjoying this eclipse with you! Cross your fingers for a sunny day!

Weather allowing, the observatory will be open to the public to see planets, the Moon, stars, nebulae, galaxies and more at the following times this summer (all Wednesdays):

• May 27, 9:00 – 10:15 pm
• June 10 and 24, 9:15 – 10:30 pm
• July 8 and 22, 9:15 – 10:30 pm
• August 5 and 19, 8:45 – 10:00 pm

Please check here or on our social media the afternoon of the event for our weather decision. We generally cancel if there will be a little more than 50% cloud cover, but we use our best judgement based on multiple forecasts and satellite imagery. We're on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr @BSUObservatory where we also post astrophotography and some astronomy news. We have a TikTok with some fun content, too!