Leitner Family Observatory & Planetarium
The Leitner Observatory is a facility of the Yale Department of Astronomy dedicated to education, public outreach, and student research. Every Tuesday night, the Leitner Observatory presents shows in the planetarium theater that are open to the public. Following the show on Tuesday nights (weather permitting), participants are invited to observe the night sky through one of the Observatory’s telescopes. The observatory has two permanently mounted telescopes. The historic 8-inch Reed refractor, mounted in the east dome, was purchased by Yale in 1882 to study the transit of Venus across the face