View the summer night sky at Harper

Harper College is offering front-row seats for this summer’s blockbuster celestial shows, starting Saturday, July 9.

Through late August, the college will host free close-up viewings of the night sky at the Karl G. Henize Observatory on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine.

The viewings, from 8:30 to 10 p.m. on select Saturdays, allow visitors to stargaze through Harper’s large main telescope in the observatory dome or view the cosmos through other telescopes arranged by observatory staff and astronomy club volunteers nearby.

Viewings are scheduled for July 9, July 23, Aug. 6 and Aug. 20. More will be available this fall.

The public can call the observatory at (847) 925-6990 to check visibility in advance. For more, visit harperastronomy.org.