TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama’s astronomy department will hold a free public sky viewing of Jupiter, Saturn and Orion Nebula at Gallalee Hall on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m.

Dr. Ron Buta, professor of physics and astronomy, will give a short lecture before guests look through the refracting telescope in the dome on top of Gallalee Hall.

This is the first public viewing of the spring semester. Gallalee Hall is located on the UA campus near the intersection of Hackberry Lane and University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa. For more information, contact UA’s department of physics and astronomy at 205/348-5050.

The department of physics and astronomy is in the College of Arts and Sciences, UA’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state, with approximately 5,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students. The College has received national recognition for academic excellence, and A&S students have been selected for many of the nation’s top academic honors, including 15 Rhodes Scholarships, 13 Goldwater Scholarships, seven Truman Scholarships and 11 memberships on USA Today’s Academic All-American teams.