2022 saw the release pictures taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, and we were amazed by these hauntingly beautiful images of other worlds and nebula. In fact, space has always captured our imagination with its alien beauty and mysteries. What we want to do is bring the opportunities to study space from the campus of Illinois Tech. With a built-in observatory, we will be able to view space through our own telescope and explore the possibilities of astrophysics.

Illinois Tech's telescope is a high precision 130mm Takahashi Refractor. The telescope has an SBIG CCD Camera with seven astronomical filters that allow for imaging even under the significant light pollution from Chicago. Check out the image of the Dumbbell Nebula that was taken on campus near the site of the proposed observatory. By permanently installing this observatory, we will be able to increase access for our students and community.