Ritter Planetarium and Brooks Observatory

05/21/2026

Tonight the Moon shines upper left of Jupiter and Venus in the darkening dusk. The Moon makes an isosceles triangle (two equal sides) with Jupiter and Pollux.
https://buff.ly/Xn2J9MR

04/29/2026

Two new shows for the month of May! (But note that there will be no Saturday show on May 2). Hope to see you in the dome!

The University of Toledo UToledo College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics UToledo Physics and Astronomy

04/18/2026

Bored with the rain? Why not come out to Astronomy Day! We have liquid nitrogen ice cream, free planetarium shows, talks by UToledo astronomers, and kids' room with coloring, legos, and more!

04/17/2026

Don't forget about Astronomy Day tomorrow, Saturday April 18th, at the planetarium! Free events for kids and adults and free parking!

04/14/2026

Come join us this Saturday!

The University of Toledo UToledo College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics UToledo Physics and Astronomy

03/05/2026

Two new shows for the month of March!
The University of Toledo UToledo College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics UToledo Physics and Astronomy

03/02/2026

02/12/2026

Mark your calendar for early March!

Put a reminder in your phone right now. You do not want to miss this. The best sight in the night sky for 2026, and the last total lunar eclipse visible in our area until 2029 is less than 3 weeks away on Tuesday, March 3rd just before sunrise. The blood red moon will arrive during twilight which may enhance those colors even more. The partial eclipse will start just before 5am. The total eclipse will start at 6:04am. The peak of the eclipse is at 6:33am, but twilight (the golden hour) begins at 6:49am. So the 6:49am to 7:02am time period is the most fascinating to me from a photographer's view point. This moon may have enhanced colors that we don't normally see. The moon will also be very low on the horizon at that time. This is worth waking up early for on March 3rd. The next total lunar eclipse in our area will be on June 25-26th 2029.

02/03/2026

Two new shows for February! And remember, this Friday we look through the big 40 in telescope after the program if the weather is clear!

The University of ToledoUToledo College of Natural Sciences and MathematicsUToledo Physics and Astronomy

01/19/2026

If can brave the cold, you may have a chance to see the aurora tonight! HOWEVER, you will not see what pictures shows because your eye isn't as sensitive as your phones. Still, you will see shades of colors so bundle up and take a look!

UToledo College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics UToledo Physics and AstronomyThe University of Toledo

**Aurora Chance In All 50 States Tonight**

This is big! Yesterday's mega solar flare sent a cloud of plasma out into space at about 3.7 million mph toward Earth. That shock wave just hit us, and we are already experiencing a severe geomagnetic storm that may reach G5 levels later tonight. Regardless, this gives every state in the US a chance to see the aurora tonight, depending on sub-storms and the magnetic orientation of these incoming charged particles. The aurora is possible anytime tonight after 7pm local time. Chances go up somewhat as we get closer to midnight, but if you are interested in seeing the northern lights, I would keep your eye on the sky instead of waiting.

Most of the US will be clear, but a lot of the US will be very cold. If you head out tonight, please be smart and take lots of warm gear or stay in your car. Along with the severe/extreme geomagnetic storm, we are currently seeing one of the worst radiation storms on record in the satellite era over the polar regions. Don't freak out, our atmosphere generally protects us from this at the ground. However, those at high elevations (in an aircraft), including those in planes flying over the poles, are at risk. As a result, airlines may cancel or reroute some flights or fly at a low enough altitude to avoid this threat. The polar regions will also experience major navigation issues, and radio frequencies in the HF range will experience major issues or complete outages.