Topeka ? An observatory at Washburn University is opening its doors to the public next week.

Children and adults will get a chance to view the night sky from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Crane Observatory in Topeka. It features a Warner & Swasey refracting telescope built in the late 1800s.

The event is free but will be canceled if the weather isn’t conducive to viewing the sky. The observatory and planetarium is in Stoffer Science Hall.