Aug. 28, 2026
Friday / 6:00 PM
The Observatory offers programs exploring the history of astronomy and the history of the University of Michigan. We’re open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Admission is always free!
Check our calendar for programs and events!
Learn more about this newly reimagined, one-of-a-kind place, where the spirit of science and discovery link the past and present.
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There’s more to the Observatory than the stars! Beyond its astronomical heritage, the Observatory is also a gateway to campus history. 🏛️
Join us on student-led campus walking tours and discover the stories and places that have shaped our campus, including tours "Creating Michigan" and "Paths of Protest."
Our website calendar is updated with this semester’s tour and event offerings. Find a date and join us!
🎟️ Registration required, sign up via our website: detroitobservatory.umich.edu/visit/month/2026-09/
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For over 170 years, the Observatory has watched campus transform—and campus has watched the Observatory transform, too! In 1908, a classroom wing was added where the modern addition stands today, shown here in this early photo. 📸
The classroom wing also included a larger observatory dome equipped with a 37.5-inch reflecting telescope. Parts of the telescope were built in the Observatory Shop, which was formerly located in the basement of the Observatory! 🔭
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On this day in 1878, Detroit Observatory Director James Craig Watson claimed a remarkable discovery: Vulcan, a long-theorized but never-confirmed planet believed to orbit between Mercury and the Sun.
Watson was in Wyoming to observe the total solar eclipse, which his wife Annette sketched during the expedition. By that time, he had earned an international reputation as one of the era’s leading astronomers. 🔭
Watson became the first professional astronomer to claim an observation of Vulcan, further elevating his fame. He was later disproven; many astronomers believed he likely saw either a star or an optical illusion. Though Watson was wrong about Vulcan, Watson’s legacy remains impressive: he discovered 22 asteroids over his career, 21 of them at the Detroit Observatory. ☄️
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