Three College Observatory

Tickets for public nights go fast so sign up early at the link below “reserving tickets”.

View the skies through one of the larger telescopes in the southeastern United States! The Three College Observatory and its 32-inch reflecting telescope are open to the public on selected Public Nights.

View the on-line Observing Schedule. Public Nights are marked as “PUBLIC”.

You may request tickets for public nights electronically by reserving tickets.

Observing will begin shortly after sunset at the announced time and continue for approximately 60 – 90 minutes. Special arrangements for groups larger than about eight people may be made by sending an email to tco@uncg.edu. At a typical public observing session we will look at the following objects through the 32-inch telescope: star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, double stars, planets and the moon (if available).

On most nights a decision will be made as to cloud conditions, sky suitability, and road conditions at about 5:30 or 6:30 pm. To determine whether the observatory will be open please check our webpage “Is My TCO Public Night Cancelled” on the day for which you have tickets.

More questions about Public Nights at the Three College Observatory? Read our Public Nights FAQs.

Public Nights at the TCO are operated as a public service. UNCG faculty volunteer their time to run the public nights, take reservation requests, answer questions, and operate the telescope.