Tour Information for USNO Washington DC

Public tours of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, are available, but on a limited basis. They may be canceled at any time with little notice.  Please read the tour policy and admission procedure below before you request tour passes.

All available tour spaces through July, 2012 are FULL.
We will not be accepting any new reservation requests at this time.

There are no tours scheduled for August 2012.

Tours will resume after Labor Day.

Public tours of the USNO are offered on selected Monday evenings from 8:30 pm until 10:00 pm, except on Federal holidays. Tours include a presentation of the mission and history of the Naval Observatory, an explanation of of USNO's timekeeping responsibilities and its Master Clock system, and (weather permitting) viewing of celestial objects with the 12-inch Alvan Clark refractor with an astronomer. We generally try to schedule at least two tours per month. Tours take place "rain or shine"; however they may be canceled if the weather is hazardous.

If a specific Monday doesn't fit your schedule, or if you would like more options for telescopic viewing of astronomical objects, check with other local observatories, planetaria, and amateur astronomy groups in the Washington area.