Events & Visiting Information
TONIGHT'S OPERATION STATUS
Please see our calendar here for our events and guidelines below.
Public tours
The observatory hosts a free public tour every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday (check this event calendar for details).
Times of Operation
Our last day of operation is April 27th. We will be back in late August.
Note that these public tours are not intended for ASTR112/114 students. If you are taking these courses and looking for lab tours, please visit For Students page.
We also host free public talks/tours (Evening Under the Stars) throughout the academic year. Please refer to the calendar and the Evening Under the Stars page. Unless otherwise noted, expect the scientific talks to last 45 minutes and their content to be appropriate for ages 5+. An approximate hour-long guided telescope tour of that night’s sky will follow the scientific talk (weather permitting).
Please Note: If George Mason University closes or cancels classes for any reason, all observatory events for that time are automatically canceled.
If canceled, the event on the calendar will begin with the word "CANCELED"
If my group size is larger than 10 people?
Please feel free to contact us and let us know ahead of time.
If these dates are not convenient, or if you'd like more observing opportunities, please consider visiting the Observatory Park at Turner Farm . The director of the observatory is Sebastian Arnez, and he runs many great programs.
Please check the status on our calendar to see whether or not the session you are interested in is canceled.
Guidelines for Guests - PLEASE READ
The observatory is located on the roof of Research Hall and is only accessible to observatory staff. A tour guide will be stationed at the reception desk just to the right of the elevators. Please meet at the reception desk at the start of the public hour/tour. We cannot guarantee the admission to the tour after the start time.
The observatory is mostly outdoors, so please wear clothing appropriate for being outdoors for the duration of your tour. This is especially important during the winter months. The observatory will be very dark during viewing. So we highly encourage our guests to wear closed toed shoes during their visit.
The observatory is not 100% accessible. If you have any accessibility needs, please contact us at GMUObservatory@gmail.com before your visit so that we can tell you more details.
Photography is welcome in and around our facilities. However, we ask that guests not use flash photography in any designated dark areas, like inside the dome when the lights are turned off. Additionally, we request that you ask permission of any observatory staff before taking their picture.
During any viewing through the telescope, we try to keep the dome as dark as possible in order to facilitate a good viewing experience. For you and the people around you, we ask that no white lights be brought into the dome, including but not limited to: flash cameras, phone screens, flashlights, and light-up shoes.
Observatory Rules
No Smoking or Vaping on the Observatory roof and facilities.
Weapons, Drugs, Alcohol, and Motorized vehicles are all prohibited up at the observatory.
No bright lights or bright cell phone use during viewings.
No flash photography until the end of the tour.
Children under the age of 18 must have guardian supervision at all times.
Be respectful to our staffs and other visitors.
By visiting us, you agree to follow these rules.
Directions & Parking
We love hosting guests at the observatory, and sharing what we know about our telescope, astronomy, and science in general. If you are planning on attending one of our scheduled events, please review this section for information about directions, parking, and other important notes regarding visits to the observatory.
The observatory is an extension to Research Hall. The closest parking is the Shenandoah Parking Deck. The lower level is the visitor parking level, and this parking garage is across the street from Research Hall. Please see the parking rates information here (Go to the section Fairfax Campus > Short-Term Parking Rates > Parking Decks for the Shenandoah Parking Deck).
For Evenings Under the Stars, the event starts at the COS Showcase. This is the room at the base of the Observatory Tower, which is attached to Research Hall. When looking at the elevators inside Research Hall, it is the room to the left on the other side of the walkway.
What should I expect in a public hour/private tour? What if the weather is not clear?
Usually, when the weather is clear and not too humid (<85% relative humidity), too windy (<20 mph windspeed), nor smoky (no wildfire near the area), we proceed with an open-dome tour where you can see the night sky using our telescope. Otherwise, we proceed with a closed-dome tour where you can take a look at our telescope, but cannot use it to watch the night sky.
In both cases, you may also be able to:
take a look at our control and learn more about astrophotography and astronomy research conducted at our observatory.
see our 32-inch telescope inside the dome
Should there be a thunderstorm (light rain is ok) or inclement weather, we will cancel the tour and the status on the calendar will become "CANCELED".
Locations
Visiting Address
(note, there is no parking at this address)
10401 York River Rd
Fairfax, VA 22030
The meeting area is the lobby (near the elevators on 1st floor)
Parking Address
College of Science (COS) Showcase / Interstellar Dreams Space Center
When you arrive at Research Hall on 1st floor, look for the elevators and take an exit of the building. The COS Showcase is in the extension tower labeled "001".
Exploratory 3301
To find the Exploratory Hall (EXPL), room 3301 (3rd floor) if you approach from Shenandoah Parking Deck, walk off the deck using an exit near Sandy Creek Shuttle Stop and look for the entrance to the Exploratory Hall.
Enter the building and use the nearest elevator.
Go to 3rd floor. The room is next to the elevator.
Contact Us
For questions, including public night visits, please contact us at GmuObservatory@gmail.com
We are located at Research Hall, 10401 York River Rd, Fairfax, VA 22030
The control room can be reached at (703) 993-9559. However, please note we usually operate remotely, so we rarely pick up the call. You may call this number about 15 minutes before the public hour if you cannot find us.