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    Nights to Remember.
    Summer Series at Lick Observatory:
    June to August 2020
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    Enjoy a full evening of activities.
    A concert, lectures, telescope viewings, and amateur astronomy
    at our "Music of the Spheres" concerts.
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    The view is better at 4,200 feet.
    Enjoy the view through two historic telescopes
    during our 'Evening with the Stars' program.

2021 Public Evening Tours and Photography Nights resume in August

Public Evening Tours and Photography Nights will resume in August. Tickets go on sale July 14th at Noon at ucsctickets.com.

The 2021 Music of the Spheres concert series and Evening with the Stars lecture and viewing series will not be occuring due to ongoing SCU wildfire recovery work. The Visitor Center is currently closed to the public, but outdoor areas of the observatory are open 10am to 4:30pm daily.

P.S. Want to make sure you receive updates about our virtual events are programming? You can sign up to receive email communication by emailing social@ucolick.org.

You can also follow us on social media for updates:
Lick Observatory FaceBook | UC Observatories FaceBook | Instagram | Lick Observatory Twitter | UC Observatories Twitter | Linked In

Overview of the 40th Annual Summer Series:

2021 Summer Series have been cancelled due to COVID and the SCU wildfire recovery efforts.

Experience a night to remember at Lick Observatory in 2020: Visit us for exceptional music, lectures by renowned scientists, viewings through the historical 36" Great Refractor and the 40" Nickel Reflector telescopes and more! Our 2020 line-up:

June 12, 8:30 pm Astronomy Lecture TBD
June 13, 8:30 pm Concert & Lecture Tingstad and Rumbel | TBD
June 26, 8:30 pm Astronomy Lecture TBD
June 27, 8:30 pm Concert & Lecture White Album Ensemble | TBD
July 10, 8:30 pm Astronomy Lecture TBD
July 11, 8:30 pm Concert & Lecture Tod Dickow with Charged Particles | TBD
July 24, 8:30 pm Astronomy Lecture TBD
July 25, 8:30 pm Concert & Lecture Black Cedar Trio | TBD
August 7, 8:00 pm Astronomy Lecture TBD
August 8, 8:00 pm Concert & Lecture Men of Worth | TBD
August 21, 8:00 pm Astronomy Lecture TBD
August 22, 8:00 pm Concert & Lecture Fire and Grace | TBD

Ticket Information

Due to the COVID-19 situation and SCU wildfire recovery efforts, the 2021 Summer Series has been cancelled. Tickets will not go on sale.

Tickets for the general public will go on sale on Wednesday, May 13th, 2020 at noon through ucsctickets.com. Please email tickets@ucolick.org if you have any questions.

Due to safety regulations, children must be at least 8 years of age for admission and accompanied by an adult. Due to late program hours, the programs may be difficult for children under 12. The concert evenings ("Music of the Spheres") are for visitors 12 and older. All events will take place rain or shine.


Become a Friend of Lick and Get Tickets Early

As a thank you for supporting the observatory, you'll get special access to purchase tickets for the Summer Series (not the Public Evening Tours) one week before the general public (the deadline for becoming a FoLO member and to enjoy this member benefit is March 1st, 2020 for the 2020 Summer Series). To receive updates and news from us, join our mailing list.






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Please note that all gifts to Lick Observatory are processed through the UC Santa Cruz Foundation. Thank you for your support!



Check Out The View.

As part of the evening of activities, volunteer amateur astronomers set up ground telescopes for guests to view cosmic objects.
This time-lapse was filmed on June 13, 2015.


Blast from the past.

We're coming up on our 40th annual Summer Series program. Check out this program from 1984!
Our marketing materials may have changed, but the program is still a classic.

program