Eyes on the Night Sky at the Washburn Observatory
Join us at the Washburn Observatory on the UW-Madison campus for a night of history, astronomy facts, and star gazing! The observatory was built in 1878 and has been the site of several major discoveries. During this event, observatory staff will share the history of the building and telescope, help attendees view interesting stars and planets, and answer questions. This trip is exclusive to Friends of the Arboretum and limited to 30 people.
Unfortunately, to preserve the original character of Washburn, the telescope is not handicap accessible and is only reachable by climbing a flight of stairs. The telescope room itself is flat and has seating available. Due to the reliance on clear skies, please make sure you are available for both the primary date and rain date!
Primary date: April 18, 9-11 pm Rain date: April 25, 9-11 pm
The dome is open to the outside air, so dress appropriately. Food and drinks, as well as flash photography, are not allowed. We will meet at the observatory located at 1401 Observatory Drive in Madison at 9 pm. There is on-street parking on Observatory Drive. If parking is not available, you may park in Lot 34, on the lake, behind Tripp Hall. When you arrive at the observatory, please enter at the south door (faces away from the lake) and go directly up the stairs to your right. Then proceed through the door in front of you into the dome.
To register online, click on the “Register Here” button below.Prefer to register by mail? Click here for a downloadable PDF registration form. Complete this form and mail it with your check. Just be sure it arrives before April 11.
FOA trips are an important part of fundraising efforts by FOA to support the Arboretum. We strive to make these trips interesting and accessible to all attendees. To ensure that we have adequate time to find replacement attendees and ensure that FOA costs are covered, FOA trips have the following cancellation policy (unless otherwise noted):
- Transferring your registration to a new attendee is always allowed. Contact Allison Eyring-Green at npscoordinator@foamadison.org or call the FOA office at 608-890-2555 to request a ticket transfer.
- Cancelling without requesting a refund is an option. Your registration fee will be used to offset trip costs and to support the Arboretum.
- Cancel 30 or more days before departure for a full refund of your registration fee.
- Cancel 29 days or fewer before departure and the registration fee is non-refundable.