Perkins Observatory's Friday Nights Are Back on a Smaller Scale

Perkins Observatory on U.S. 23 has brought back its Friday night programs this fall, but at a fraction of their normal size. On its ticket page, updated Oct. 7, 2026, Ohio Wesleyan University says the observatory is "resuming limited programing as we continue to do maintenance on the observatory," with "a 20 guests limit on the programs for the time being." The observatory's 2026 public programs brochure lists the usual cap as 60 people per program.

That leaves one-third of the usual seats, and it changes how a night at Perkins has to be planned. Under the old cap, a family could pick a clear-looking Friday that same week. Under this one, nearly every October date was gone by the first week of the month, and the open dates are in November.

October Is Already Gone

Ohio Wesleyan's October events release, published Sept. 15, said the Oct. 2 and Oct. 9 skywatches had already sold out. When the ticket page was updated on Oct. 7, it showed "A Few Tickets Available" for Oct. 9 and listed every remaining October Friday as sold out. The page also warns that "the schedule and ticket availability may not be up to the minute," and asks callers to "have alternative dates in mind."

Here is the rest of the fall schedule. Every program runs 8 to 10 p.m.

We worked out the moon phases from the lunar dates in EarthSky's 2026 meteor shower guide, which puts new moons on Oct. 10 and Nov. 9 and a full moon on Oct. 26. A crescent moon throws less light than a gibbous one, so for faint objects, Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 sit closest to the November new moon. Dec. 11 is the last Friday program on the posted list.

How a Seat Actually Gets Booked

You can't buy Perkins tickets online. Ohio Wesleyan says tickets "are only sold by phone." Here's how it works:

1. Call 740-363-1257, the observatory's ticket line.
2. Pay by credit or debit card. Those are the only payment methods listed.
3. Expect to pay $10 per ticket in advance. Tickets bought on the day of the program or at the door cost $2 more each, if any are left.
4. Buy before you go. The ticket page says to "purchase your tickets before coming to the observatory," and the directions page asks visitors not to drive onto the property without tickets or a prearranged group program.
5. Get there before 8 p.m. The brochure says latecomers "will be denied entry."

At 20 seats a night, a few households or one larger party can fill a whole program. The posted schedule is the only notice the observatory gives, so calling as soon as you know your Friday is what keeps a date open.

What Two Hours Under the Dome Can Include

The brochure is upfront that a ticket doesn't promise a look through a telescope. Programs are held "rain or shine, so refunds on ticket fees are not possible," and "there is no guarantee of being able to look through telescopes, even if it is clear." Depending on sky conditions, a Friday program can include a planetarium-style show on a flat screen, a tour of the observatory, or viewing through the 32-inch Schottland Telescope and other telescopes.

Tickets are "good only for the date specified," so a cloudy night doesn't carry over to a clearer one. Ohio Wesleyan describes the public nights as "fun for the whole family" and says "individuals, families, and groups of all ages are welcome." The page gives no minimum age.

The observatory's director, Don Stevens, is an astrophysicist. Ohio Wesleyan's staff page says his job includes running the telescope and the public programs.

The Telescope That Left, and the Mirror That Came Back

The tour is a big part of the night because the building's story reaches well beyond U.S. 23. According to the observatory's history page, Hiram Mills Perkins founded the observatory in 1923, and its 69-inch mirror was installed in 1931, eight years after construction began.

In 1961 the 69-inch telescope was moved to Arizona and became part of Lowell Observatory near Flagstaff. In 1964 its mirror went on extended loan to COSI. The mirror came back to Perkins on Sept. 14, 1999, and it is stored there today.

So the big mirror that defined the building is back under its roof, and the instrument visitors use on a clear Friday is the 32-inch Schottland. That's a detail even many longtime Delaware residents haven't heard.

This Fall's Meteor Showers Are a Separate Outing

The fall sky has more to offer than the observatory can show, and Ohio Wesleyan says so directly. Its meteor shower page calls Perkins unsuitable for meteor watching because of light pollution, trees and the lack of an open horizon, and it notes that meteors are best watched with the naked eye. That makes a Perkins Friday and a meteor night two different plans.

EarthSky's guide, published Sept. 1, 2026, gives these dates for the rest of the year:

• Orionids: peak Oct. 21, with a bright moon that could get in the way. NASA's October skywatching guide puts the peak night at Oct. 21 to 22 and suggests looking before dawn, after the moon sets.
• Taurids: broad, loosely defined peaks on Nov. 5 for the South Taurids and Nov. 12 for the North Taurids. The two showers overlap in late October and early November.
• Leonids: peak Nov. 18, best watched from late Nov. 17 through dawn Nov. 18. First-quarter moonlight may wash out fainter meteors.
• Geminids: peak Dec. 14. EarthSky says a waxing crescent moon shouldn't interfere.

The Taurid peaks fall within a day of the Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 programs. You can book a Friday at the telescope that week and do your meteor watching on another night, from somewhere with an open horizon.

Making a Night of It in Town

The Nov. 6 program shares its evening with Main Street Delaware's November First Friday: Community Harvest, which runs 6 to 9 p.m. It features a city Paint-a-Plow display, a pie-eating contest at Fresh Start and a food drive that runs Nov. 6 through 15. Since the Perkins program starts at 8 p.m. and doesn't admit latecomers, you'd have the early part of First Friday before heading out to U.S. 23.

Ohio Wesleyan's Richard M. Ross Art Museum, at 60 S. Sandusky St., opens three exhibitions on Oct. 13. They include Ardine Nelson's photographs of Columbus's former City Center Mall, which run through Dec. 18. Admission is always free, and the museum stays open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. For coffee beforehand, Espresso Air opened its 34 S. Sandusky St. location on Aug. 12.

Ohio Wesleyan hasn't said what the maintenance involves or when Perkins will go back to 60 guests. Until it does, the most dependable way to get a seat this fall is to call 740-363-1257 about the November dates now.

Knowing how a Friday at Perkins gets booked is the kind of local detail we keep track of at MORE Ohio Team, from the observatory on U.S. 23 to the shops on Sandusky Street. If you'd like to talk with someone who follows Delaware this closely, reach out and Work With Us.