The stars and constellations of Spring are quickly returning to the night sky. And you can learn how to identify them all.  Explore the constellations Leo, Bootes, Virgo, and Corona Borealis as well as some holdovers from the Winter Sky like Orion and Gemini. Then keep up with where to find the planets with the naked eye.

Join Astronomer Dean Regas on this fast, fun, online class.  Best of all, you can take these from the comfort of your own home and will receive a copy of the recorded classes that you can watch again at your convenience.

Tickets: $10/class per household.

This class is perfect for beginner stargazers as well as more seasoned amateur astronomers. Dean will share tips on finding not only the bright stars and planets, but the fainter more challenging hidden gems in the Spring Sky.

At the Cincinnati Observatory

Learn how to identify the stars, constellations, and planets of the season with expert astronomer Dean Regas.

Explore the constellations Leo, Bootes, Virgo, and Hydra as well as some holdovers from the Winter Sky like Orion and Gemini. Then keep up with where to find the planets with the naked eye.  This class is perfect for beginner stargazers of all ages.

And weather permitting, you'll get to go outside and get a guided tour of the actual sky with Dean and then view objects close up with telescopes.

Tickets: $20/person, $15/Observatory Member

Through the Looking Glass

The Legacy of Alvan Clark & Sons

Take a bite out of History! Join us for a lunchtime presentation and an afternoon of history at the Cincinnati Observatory on April 7, 2023 from 12-1 p.m. Please bring your own lunch. Drink refreshments will be provided, plus a presentation on our newest exhibit, Through the Looking Glass: The Legacy of American Telescope Makers, Alvan Clark and Sons.

Observatory exhibits, gift shop, and its buildings and grounds will be open during and after the presentation. Weather permitting, we’ll have solar viewing through our historic 1845 Merz and Mahler 11” refracting telescope in the adjacent Mitchel Building after the presentation.

History Bites is one of our newest program offerings that will run with each of our three temporary exhibits this year. Things are always looking up at the Cincinnati Observatory!

$10 for non-members, Free for Members

Registration is required. Space is limited

Rocket through space and sail among billions of stars and galaxies. Utilizing some amazing simulation software our Astronomer, Dean Regas guides you through the mind-boggling scale of the universe. Along the way you’ll stop at the Moon and individual planets. Then you’ll make the jump to light speed and head to interstellar space and see all the "nearby" stars and delve into the heart of the Milky Way to visit a black hole. Beyond then you'll fly among the galaxies to the edge of the universe. Don’t worry, Dean will have you back home in time for dessert!

These fast, fun, online classes let you explore the universe from your own home. And, in case you can't attend the live class, you will receive a copy of the recorded classes that you can watch again at your convenience.

Tickets: $10/household

Telescope Turns 178 Years Old

At the Cincinnati Observatory

On April 14, 1845, in the gray of a lingering twilight, Observatory founder Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel took his first look through the Great Cincinnati Telescope, the 3rd largest in the World. He saw the Moon, "her mountain heights, her rocky precipices and her dells", Jupiter, "globe of surpassing splendor", the Saturnian system, "the mind over whelmed in wonder and astonishment."

“First Light” marks the first time a telescope is used – the telescope’s official birthday.

Learn the stellar story of the telescope and the people who made Cincinnati the "Birthplace of American Astronomy".

Then look through the 178-year-old telescope at the stars (weather permitting).

Advance tickets: $12/adult, $7/child

Day-of tickets: $15/adult, $10/child