Current Exhibits
What's on display at the Observatory now.
Watcher of the Sky: Making and Remaking the Detroit Observatory
From cornerstone to keystone, from the first director to the people who saved it from destruction, explore the life of a historic observatory 170 years in the making.
Digital Exhibits
Our online exhibits are just a click away.
A New Universe of Research
In the late 1800s, new technologies revolutionized astronomy. But U-M missed out – that is, until William Hussey returned to campus. Learn about the ways in which the University of Michigan returned to the forefront of astronomical research.
What Time Is It? How “Observatory Time” Changed the City of Detroit and Beyond
Trains crashing. People dying. Businesses struggling. The perils of keeping incorrect time in Detroit were significant, and the city desperately needed a solution. A visionary academic, a businessman, and new technology to plot the stars would converge at the Observatory, changing Detroit—and the campus—forever.
Aiming for the Stars: Early Women Astronomers and the Detroit Observatory
Created in collaboration with the Bentley Historical Library and the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), this exhibition gives a unique look into the lives of early women astronomy students at the Observatory and the impact as they pursued their professional careers.
Recorded Talks and Presentations
Videos of talks and presentations at the Observatory.
The Children’s Psychiatric Hospital at the University of Michigan, 1955-1990
December 11, 2025
When the University of Michigan first opened its Children’s Psychiatric Hospital it was a revolutionary creation. Join us to hear from Professor Laura Hirshbein as she traces U-M’s efforts to provide care for children by creating this groundbreaking program, focusing not just on psychoanalysis but also all aspects of children’s illnesses, from the emotional to the physical. Part of the Making Michigan series.
The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations
October 16, 2025
Shipwreck historian Ric Mixter is one of only a handful of people who have visited the wreckage of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and he will share the results of his decades of research, including rarely seen footage of the ship and interviews with former crew, providing new insights into what caused the disaster. Part of the Making Michigan Series.
Saturday Morning Physics: Thirty Years of Engaging, Educating, and Entertaining the Public
September 25, 2025
For thirty years U-M’s Saturday Morning Physics has been exploring cosmic mysteries and answering practical problems with the public through striking experiments and live lectures. Professor of Physics and Biomedical Engineering Timothy Chupp will share its history and discuss how public science is more important now than ever. Part of the Making Michigan series.
