Billy Teets

Dyer Telescope Night in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 13, 2025. Photo by Alondra Moya One of the highlights each month at Dyer Observatory is Telescope Night. During these events, visitors come to one of two hour-long sessions to get firsthand views of some of the wonders of the cosmos,… Read More

2025 marks the 60th anniversary of humanity’s robotic exploration of Mars, with Mariner 4 returning the first flyby images of our neighbor in July 1965. Eleven years later, NASA would land Viking 1 on the surface of the Red Planet, making it the first… Read More

The Leo Trio is comprised of galaxies M65 (top left), M66 (top right), and NGC 3628 (bottom). The three galaxies appear close enough together that all three can be viewed simultaneously with a small telescope. Credit: Billy Teets Now that we have reached summertime in the northern hemisphere, many… Read More

Galaxies M81 (left) and M82 (right) appear in the same field of view of many backyard telescopes. The featured image is a composite of images totaling nearly six hours of exposure taken with a 16″ telescope at Dyer Observatory. Credit: Billy Teets Our Milky Way galaxy is a treasure… Read More

As part of their visit on April 4, 2025, OLLI students were given the opportunity to pass around samples of meteorites and tektites. Credit: Tracy Stadnick On April 4, Dyer staff treated two groups of OLLI students (42 total) to a tour of the historic observatory.  Along with learning… Read More

Vanderbilt students, along with some of their family members, view the Moon and Jupiter through telescopes brought to campus from Dyer Observatory. Credit: Billy Teets A major initiative for Dyer Observatory is to ensure Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff are included in our educational programming, and for many students… Read More

Just off the famous belt of Orion lie several regions of nebulosity, each around 1.500 light-years away, that are favorite targets for astrophotographers. To the right of Alnitak (the brightest star of the image) is a large complex of gas with a dust cloud seen in silhouette – the… Read More

The Moon as it appeared around maximum totality during the total lunar eclipse of March 14, 2025. Credit: Billy Teets It has been a little while since Nashville has had the opportunity to view the splendor of a total lunar eclipse, nearly three years in fact.  During brief gaps… Read More

One of Peabody’s Humphrey fellows views Venus through Dyer’s Seyfert Telescope. The prominent red glow is due to the red lights used during some observations, which helps to preserve night vision while allowing one to make their way in the darker conditions. Credit: Alex Rockafellar In addition to the… Read More

Vanderbilt students eagerly await a glimpse of Jupiter through Dyer’s Seyfert Telescope. Credit: Jessica Oster On the evening of Monday, March 17, first-year students from Stambaugh, Hank Ingram, West, Sutherland, and Murray houses paid a visit to Dyer Observatory. Close to 20 students toured the facility with observatory director… Read More