Observatory
Welcome
Calvin boasts access to two fully-equipped observatories, one on Calvin's campus and a robotically-operated telescope in Rehoboth, New Mexico. The central mission of the Calvin University Observatory is educational, and the telescopes are used by students at all levels from first year non-science majors to fourth year physics majors.
With our telescopes, we can see fascinating objects in space and capture them in photographs. See a sample of our photos in the adjacent gallery.
Announcements
April 2019: Calvin physics and astronomy student Michaela Blain was awarded a Barry Goldwater Scholarship. This continues a long record of Calvin astronomy students winning this prestigious scholarship (Chris Beaumont 2006 [honorable mention], Melissa Haegert 2008, Luke Leisman 2009). Additionally two other Calvin physics major have been awarded honorable mention (Jacob Lampen 2013, Jackson Ross 2018).
December Highlights
December will have three bright objects coming into the evening sky.
The planet Mars joins Jupiter and Saturn making for a planet rich month. Its red disk is visible through the telescope.
The winter constellation of Orion is rising in the east. See the stellar nursery that is the Orion Nebula, along with the Pleiades, a stellar cluster nearby.
The winter constellation of Orion is rising in the east. See the stellar nursery that is the Orion Nebula, along with the Pleiades, a stellar cluster nearby
