Look up together: UK’s SkyTalks bring the universe to the community
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 7, 2025) — When the sun dips below the horizon and the stars emerge over Lexington, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ SkyTalk program invites the community to gather, look up and wonder — together.
For nearly two decades, the monthly talks have drawn people of all ages — from middle school students to retirees — to UK’s MacAdam Student Observatory to explore the mysteries of the cosmos. Hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the program blends accessible presentations with eye-catching visuals and, weather permitting, telescope viewings of the night sky.
“SkyTalk is very likely one of the most visible public outreach programs of our college,” said Tom Troland, UK professor emeritus of physics and astronomy. “The series offers a unique opportunity for our community to learn about interesting and sometimes late-breaking astronomical concepts from experts in the field. The emphasis is on ideas that can be described in layperson terms — it’s for anyone curious about the universe.”
A welcoming space for discovery
Speakers include UK physics and astronomy faculty, post-doctoral researchers and graduate students. Presentations often spark questions from children and adults alike, followed by a visit to the observatory’s research-grade telescope — a rare resource for a university campus that’s open to the public thanks to an endowment from the late UK professor Keith MacAdam.
Even if clouds obscure the stars, guests can still tour the observatory, learn about its technology and see how UK astronomers use it for research. Each talk is also livestreamed on YouTube and archived for on-demand viewing, broadening access beyond campus.
Uniting a community under one sky
Troland says the night sky has always had a way of drawing people together.
“Astronomy is curiosity-driven science,” Troland said. “It doesn’t cure disease, but it helps answer some of the most fundamental questions humans can ask: How did the universe begin? How do stars and planets live and die? Our SkyTalks let people explore those questions alongside UK researchers who live and work right here in our community.”
Next up at SkyTalk
The next SkyTalk will feature Ron Wilhelm, associate professor of astronomy, who will discuss Comet 3I/Atlas, a recently discovered comet that will make its closest approach to the sun later this month. The talk will be 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in room 153 of the Chemistry-Physics Building.
“[Comet 3I/Atlas] was found to be a comet from interstellar space and only the third extra-solar object to ever be discovered,” Wilhelm said. “It seems to have a very interesting composition and may be billions of years older than the Earth. Its presence in our Solar System means that astronomers have a front row seat to study an object that originated somewhere else in our Milky Way galaxy.”
After the presentation, if skies allow, guests will be invited to the observatory across the street to peer through the telescope.
For more information about the SkyTalk program, and to see a full schedule of upcoming talks — including livestream links — visit https://observatory.as.uky.edu/skytalk.
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