Landolt Astronomical Observatory
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Public Observing Schedule
We open during the Fall and Spring semesters once a month, on the Saturday best for Moon visibility (home football games permitting).
If the weather is mostly cloudy, there will not be any observing, as there will not be any celestial body to see.
Admission is free and you need not bring anything. The observatory was built in the late 1930's and is not handicapped accessible.
2025 Spring Dates | Time | Main Targets |
---|---|---|
January 25, 2025 | 7 pm | Other targets: Jupiter, Saturn, The Orion Nebula |
February 8, 2025 |
7 pm | Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous Moon. Other targets: Jupiter, Mars |
March 8, 2025 | 7:30 pm | Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous Moon. Other targets: Jupiter, Mars |
April 12, 2025 | 8:30 pm | Moon phase: Full Moon. Other targets: Jupiter, Mars |
May 3, 2025 | 9 pm | Moon phase: First Quarter Moon. Other targets: Mars |
Directions to the Observatory
The Landolt Astronomical Observatory is located on the LSU campus on the roof of Nicholson Hall on Tower Dr. immediately west of the LSU Student Union (across Tower Dr.). Convenient parking is located in the lot immediately south of Nicholson Hall (this lot is between Nicholson Hall and Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex). Parking in the lot is free and open after business hours and on weekends. Entry to the building should be by the door in the middle of the south side of Nicholson Hall. People will then be directed to climb the stairs up to the roof.