Public Evening Lecture Series
STEWARD OBSERVATORY PUBLIC EVENING LECTURE SERIES
Lavinia Steward made her historic contribution of $60,000 to the University of Arizona “…TO BUY TELESCOPE OF HUGE SIZE,” on October 18, 1916. However, the United States entry into World War I delayed the construction of the Steward Telescope and its 36-inch mirror. That original Steward Telescope was finally used for the first time on July 17, 1922. It would take another 9 months before the Steward Observatory and Telescope would be formally and officially dedicated on April 23, 1923.
The Telescope, however, was ready to be used before the official dedication date and Prof. Andrew Ellicott Douglass, the first Director of Steward Observatory, did not leave the telescope idle. He invited members of the campus and Tucson communities to view the wonders of the night sky through this new, large (for the time) telescope. The date was September 28, 1922, and the Steward Observatory Public Evenings were born.
We are thrilled to celebrate 100 years of presenting lectures on astronomy and telescope viewing to the public.
Please save the dates for the following Public Evening Lectures, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Steward Observatory Room N210 and on ZOOM at the URL: https://arizona.zoom.us/j/4470189357
All of the lectures and the use of the telescope are free of charge and open to the general public.
For more information, contact Dr. Thomas Fleming at 621-5049 or taf@arizona.edu.
Sign up for our monthly Astronomy Newsletter for more information about our lectures and other events taking place at https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/1797802/1759894/
Click here to stream podcasts of previous Public Evening Lectures.
Spring 2023 Centennial Year Lectures
| DATE | SPEAKER | TITLE |
| Jan. 16 |
Dr. Thomas Fleming Dr. Buell Jannuzi, Director Steward Observatory |
100 Years of Steward Observatory Encore Presentation |
| Jan. 30 |
Dr. Catherine Fielder Steward Observatory |
An Alien's-eye View of the Milky Way |
| Feb. 13 |
Dr. Vasileios Paschalidis Steward Observatory |
The Physics of Popular Culture Science Fiction: from "Contact" to "Interstellar" and Beyond |
| Feb. 27 |
Dr. Melissa Brucker Lunar & Planetary Laboratory |
The First 40 Years of SPACEWATCH®: Asteroids, Planetary Defense, and the Steward Observatory 36-Inch Telescope |
| Mar. 13 |
Dr. Kate Alexander Steward Observatory |
The Messy Eating Habits of Snacking Black Holes |
| Mar. 27 |
Dr. Emma Beasor, Bok Fellow Steward Observatory |
How do Massive Stars Live and Die? |
| Apr. 10 |
Dr. Everett Schlawin Steward Observatory |
JWST's First Stares at Planets that Peek in Front and Behind their Stars |
| Apr. 24 |
Dr. Christopher Impey Distinguished Professor Steward Observatory |
Worlds Without End: Exoplanets and the Search for Life Beyond Earth Book-signing for Prof. Impey's new book Worlds Without End after the lecture |
For Public
Public events include our Monday Night Lecture Series, world-reknowned Astronomy Camp and Mt Lemmon Sky Center.
For Students
A good place to start if you want to become an undergrad major or grad student, or need to find our schedule of classes.
For Scientists
Find telescopes and instruments, telescope time applications, staff and mountain contacts, and faculty and staff scientific interests.
