University Times

Pitt’s Allegheny Observatory will hold its annual open house Sept. 28. Visitors can roam the observatory and peer into the night sky through the 30-inch Thaw Refractor telescope, a 47-foot-high telescope normally reserved for research.

Members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will set up telescopes on the observatory lawn for the public. If the night is clear, guests can expect to catch a close-up look at Jupiter and the moon.

The observatory houses one of the oldest and largest collections of photographic plates of star fields — more than 110,000 images that date back to 1914. Unlike regular observatory tours, the open house allows people to browse through these plates and take self-guided tours of the observatory’s different research rooms.

The open house is 7-10 p.m. The observatory is at 159 Riverview Ave., Riverview Park, North Side.

The event is free, but reservations are required; call 412/321-2400 between 1 and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.