Astronomy Club
Former Astronomy Club President Miles Mercier works with the 9.25" imaging telescope inside the Sherzer Secondary Observatory.
Come see the wonders of the universe through Eastern Michigan University's 10-inch apochromatic refractor telescope and via computerized telescopes on our scenic observation deck. On clear meeting nights, the observatory will be opened to stargaze. On cloudy nights, presentations or planetarium shows may be held indoors. Dress for Michigan weather just in case the sky happens to be clear!
Fall 2024 Astronomy Club Schedule:
The student-based academic club holds in-person on site meetings with University social meeting guidelines in place! The club now has meetings beginning at 7:30pm in Room 402 Sherzer on Wednesday evenings. Next up is for October 16, 23, 30, and November 6 and 13. In the case of clouds, you may find us across the courtyard in 402 Mark Jefferson, the iconic planetarium "Sphere". We invite anyone curious about space and sciences, our facilities, our members and their interests to pay us a visit. Meetings are open to the public, agenda TBA at the meeting. The observatory is also scheduled to be open, IF clear, to coincide with these meetings. Any interested student is encourage to attend! Call 734.487.3033 to verify if we're open for observing. If someone answers, odds are we are in business. Meetings and public open house hours at the observatory are free! Sherzer Observatory and the planetarium sphere are two of the coolest, most unique venues on campus!
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS observing will be held from the observing deck the evenings of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, October 16, 17, 18, weather permitting, from 7pm until it sets in the SW sky. While we do have a decent view of the SW horizon, any good open field with a view of the western horizon will suffice along with a handy pair of binoculars to enhance the view of this lovely naked eye comet. It's brilliance will fade significantly by Halloween so look for it to the upper right of brilliant Venus whenever skies permit. A bright moon in the SE will diminish even the darkest skies, yet a good country view is still best.
Student members with proper training have access to use great telescope equipment, the planetarium, and larger telescopes under darker skies at the EMU Fish Lake nature reserve near Lapeer, MI. The fall Fish Lake trek is planned for November 1-3, 2024. Mark your calendar! This adds to the experience possible during non-class hours that students can enjoy while here at the University.
Current Club Officers:
President: Nathan Guerra [email protected]
Vice President: Maria Snider [email protected]
Secretary: Ali Khan [email protected]
Treasurer: Gedden Axell Cartin-Paez [email protected]
Member at Large: Allie Muschong [email protected]
Faculty Advisor: Professor Norbert Vance [email protected]
Instagram: @astroclubemu
Remind: Text this message "@emuas"
These are for updates, meeting reminders, and we will send out messages on these platforms saying when we're in the observatory!
Sherzer Secondary Observatory Control Station in the Bob Justin Archive Room
Astronomy students in the Fish Lake Dining Hall being prepped for a night of observing under dark skies.