STEWARD OBSERVATORY PUBLIC EVENING LECTURE SERIES

Lavinia Steward made her historic contribution of $60,000 to the University of Arizona “…TO BUY TELESCOPE OF HUGE SIZE,” on October 18, 1916. However, the United States entry into World War I delayed the construction of the Steward Telescope and its 36-inch mirror. That original Steward Telescope was finally used for the first time on July 17, 1922. It would take another 9 months before the Steward Observatory and Telescope would be formally and officially dedicated on April 23, 1923.

The Telescope, however, was ready to be used before the official dedication date and Prof. Andrew Ellicott Douglass, the first Director of Steward Observatory, did not leave the telescope idle. He invited members of the campus and Tucson communities to view the wonders of the night sky through this new, large (for the time) telescope. The date was September 28, 1922, and the Steward Observatory Public Evenings were born.

We are thrilled to celebrate over 100 years of presenting lectures on astronomy & telescope viewing to the public.

Public Evening Lectures will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Steward Observatory Room N210.

All of the lectures and the use of the telescope are free of charge and open to the general public..

For more information, contact Dr. Thomas Fleming at 621-5049 or taf@arizona.edu.

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VIDEOS of previous Public Evening Lectures

FALL 2025 Lectures