Welcome to the Van Allen Observatory website. The University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy maintains these pages as a guide to the Van Allen Observatory (VAO) located on the roof of Van Allen Hall in downtown Iowa City.

View of Phillips, Van Allen, Biology Buildings via Drone Sept 2021

Events

Creating Citations with EndNote

Thursday, September 24, 2026 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Seamans Center
Build your scholarly toolkit with this workshop on citation management with EndNote.
Nuclear & Particle Physics Seminar - Professor Vincent Rodgers; Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Iowa promotional image

Nuclear & Particle Physics Seminar - Professor Vincent Rodgers; Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Iowa

Monday, September 28, 2026 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Van Allen Hall
Nuclear & Particle Physics Seminar
Red Supergiants in Andromeda: Uncovering Their Hidden Companions - presented by Meredith LeFevre; Undergraduate Student; Department of Physics and Astronomy promotional image

Red Supergiants in Andromeda: Uncovering Their Hidden Companions - presented by Meredith LeFevre; Undergraduate Student; Department of Physics and Astronomy

Friday, October 2, 2026 7:30pm to 8:00pm
Van Allen Hall

Please join us for the Astronomy Public Talk series, where we host short, accessible talks on a wide range of astronomy and physics-related topics—free and open to the public! This event will feature a presentation by UI Physics and Astronomy undergraduate student Meredith LeFevre, who will discuss red supergiants: massive stars in a short-lived stage of their evolution. Studying these stars can help us understand how massive stars evolve, interact with companion stars, and end their lives in...