San Francisco State University opens its rooftop observatory to the public on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights this fall, with student docents helping visitors find the Moon, Saturn and Titan, double stars and, from October, the Andromeda galaxy. The observatory recommends it for ages 8 and up.
Open only when skies are clear (and it may close in high winds), so check the observatory’s Instagram before you go. Hours: 7:30–9:30 pm in September, 7–9:30 pm in October, 6:30–9 pm in November and December. Closed Nov 11 and Nov 23–27; the last night is Friday, Dec 4. Take the elevator to the 9th floor of Thornton Hall, then the stairs to the top.
Getting There
- M19th Ave & Holloway AveMuni Metro M · 101 m, about 2 min walk
- MOcean Ave & Aptos AveMuni Metro K · 0.6 mi, about 15 min walk
- BDaly City BART1.2 mi, about 29 min walk
Transit directions, including buses
Nearest Muni Metro, streetcar and cable car stops and BART stations, from SFMTA and BART published stop data. Distances are straight-line, and walking times are our estimate. Buses aren’t listed here.
Organizing this event? Add a “Listed on Project SF” badge to your site.
Read More
Source: SF State Department of Physics & Astronomy ↗ · Checked against the official source on September 24, 2026. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
Dates, times, prices and venue checked against the official source on .