Public Visiting Hours
June 1st thru October 31st.
Saturday night stargazing 8:30-10:00pm
Sunday afternoon solar viewing 2:00-5:00pm
Public Astronomy Talks
March thru October
Every 4th Saturday evening 8:30pm.
If you or your group are planning to attend the talk,
please plan to arrive no later than 8:15pm !
No reservations or fees required to visit the observatory.
Donations are always appreciated and help fund our mission
which is to "Educate Everyone About the Science of Astronomy" !
(Please contact us for groups of 10 or more).
Our 4th Saturday talks are also streamed live to the NJAA YouTube Channel.
What happens when you visit the Observatory
At 8:30PM on public nights, your visit begins with a welcome by our "Qualified Observers” (QOs) and a brief historical overview of NJAA. This will be followed by a tour of the facility.
After the facilities tour and depending on the weather conditions, several of our telescopes, including the 26 inch which is the largest public telescope in New Jersey,
will be open for observing the night sky.
Should you have questions regarding Astronomy or the purchase & use of amateur
telescope equipment, any of the "QOs" on duty,
will be most helpful and provide you with the guidance you need.
On the 4th Saturday thru October, there is a guest speaker presentation via Zoom / YouTube that begins at 8:30PM and will last approximately one hour.
At 2:00PM on Sunday, your visit begins with a facility tour followed by Solar Viewing through our specially filtered telescopes (weather permitting).
Children are encouraged to visit our Observatory. Note that we do ask that a
parent or guardian be present at all times with them for children under 18 years old.