Entry No. 9 — the Boston file — filed under: observatory

Judson B. Coit Observatory (Boston University Public Open Nights)

A working teaching observatory sits on the roof of a BU academic tower, reachable only by climbing a stairwell to the fifth floor — there's no elevator and 'no admittance once the program begins.' It's hosted free public telescope nights nearly every Wednesday since 1967, rain-or-shine decisions made the day of and announced by phone hotline.

The move: Reserve free Eventbrite tickets (released Thursdays at 11am, five per person), climb the stairwell up to the rooftop dome, and trade turns at the 8–to-14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes and 6.5-inch refractor picking out Saturn's rings or lunar craters with a BU astronomer narrating.

• 📍 Fenway / Boston University campus
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (stairwell entrance near room 520, 5th floor of the BU College of Arts & Sciences building)

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: bu.edu · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-20