Gazing through a telescope at the night sky, faculty and their families filled the Dearborn Observatory for a night under the stars Tuesday.

The event was hosted as part of Faculty Wellness Week, which takes place from Oct. 23 to Oct. 27. It was organized by faculty project coordinator Kayla Atkins.

“We are promoting all dimensions of wellness for faculty,” director for faculty Joan Johnson said. “We were excited to be able to offer something on campus where we could bring in family members and have an educational and fun night. We hope it’s the first of more events that we will hold for faculty where they can bring family. We hope they learn a little bit about the Dearborn observatory and that the kids are excited to learn a lot more about space.”

The observatory recently reopened after two years in 2022, after being shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and a subsequent construction project.

After a tour led by two students, each attendee had the chance to view the sky through the observatory’s telescope.

“I think it’s wonderful to get this special opportunity to see our observatory and look out into space,” professor of sociology Christine Percheski said.

The event is one of several taking place this week to encourage faculty wellness. NU will also host a children’s mental health webinar and a conversation on navigating chronic illness.

According to the event’s advertisement, Faculty Family night at the observatory sought to encourage intellectual and social wellness.

“It’s such a nice opportunity to get to know more about the history of the telescope and some background about astronomy,” professor of classics Marianne Hopman said. “It is great to be able to bring the kids as well.”

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