Billy Teets

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

The Moon and Mars about one minute prior to lunar occultation on January 13, 2025. Credit: Billy Teets   January ended up being a big month for the Red Planet as it took part in a parade, gave us all it had during opposition, and even tangoed with the… Read More

The above 4.5-hour exposure of the sword of Orion reveals the splendor of the Orion Nebula near image center and the fainter glow of the elusive Running Man Nebula at top. The image is a composite of 135 two-minute exposures using Dyer Observatory’s ZWO ASI6200MC Pro color camera mounted… Read More

Six planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) are visible in the evening during January and the first half of February 2025. Uranus and Neptune require a telescope or binoculars to spot them, but the other four planets shine brightly to the naked eye. The simulated view shows… Read More