NIU students, faculty and staff can view the stars, planets and galaxies in the observatory located on top of Davis Hall.

The first observatory tour of the semester, held last Wednesday evening, was a success, said James Green, an assistant professor in the physics department.

Although more people came than was expected, everyone had a chance to see Saturn, he said.

“Saturn will be very spectacular most of the semester. By December it will be too far away,” he said.

Unless the moon is full, this fall will be a good time to do a little star-gazing, Green said. Too much light makes it difficult to see the stars, Green said.

Some other interesting sights to see include the Andromeda Galaxy, Ring Nebula and globular clusters, he said.

The tour meets every Wednesday evening at the physics department in Faraday Hall. The tour then moves to the Davis Hall observatory, Green said.

The observatory’s telescope is a fifteen-inch reflecting scope with smaller spotting scopes attached, he said.

As it gets colder, Green said he advises observers to wear warm clothing since the observatory is open to the sky.

The next observatory tour will be Sept. 11 at 9 p.m. Since it will get darker sooner, tour times will get earlier, he said.

Anyone interested in touring the Davis Hall observatory can call James Green at 753-6480 for more information.