Space telescope discoveries topic of free Observatory open house

KOKOMO, Ind. - What are the "little red dots" discovered by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope?

Learn more about the mysterious red shifted objects discovered recently, at the last Indiana University Kokomo Observatory free open house of the academic year.

Patrick Motl, professor of physics, will begin the open house at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 17, with a presentation of the "little red dots," believed to be a transitional phase between dense, star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei, according to NASA.

"The James Webb Space Telescope discovered these very young and very distant astronomical objects recently and astronomers are starting to follow up on the Webb observations in other kinds of light," Motl said.

After the presentation, stargazers may be able to see Jupiter, Venus, the spring constellations with the spring galaxies and the Summer Triangle constellations through the Observatory's telescopes. They include a six-inch Takahashi refracting telescope and a 16-inch Meade reflecting telescope mounted together. The Takahashi provides exceptionally sharp images of planets, while the Meade allows viewers to see fainter objects in the sky, due to its larger light-collecting area.

Observation will continue through 10 p.m., weather permitting. Open houses will resume in September 2026.

The Observatory is at 2660 S. Washington Street. Free parking is available on campus.

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.