The observatory will not be open this week because of rain and clouds. Please check next week!
Maryland Space Grant Summer Exchange Internship Program
The MDSGC Summer Exchange program supports qualified students from affiliated universities to partake in hands-on, NASA-aligned summer internships at any of the other participating institutions. Interns must commit to a full-time, 10-week project duration and are paid a stipend. Click here for 2026 project information and to apply. Also see the FAQ below. Note: one change for 2026 is that students from any MDSGC-affiliated institution may apply.
Interested students and faculty may contact mdsgc@jh.edu with any questions.
Update: The application and selection process for 2026 has concluded. We thank all of this year’s applicants for their interest in the program!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the current stipend level set by NASA and how are interns paid? A: $8200 for a full time 10-week undergraduate intern. MDSGC pays the stipends by check or direct deposit in installments at the beginning, mid-point, and end of the internship period.
Q: Is housing provided for interns? A: Some host institutions have summer housing available. If an intern requires such housing, the cost is deducted from their stipend amount.
Q: Which students are eligible to apply? A: Applicants must be U.S. citizens who are enrolled as full-time undergraduate students at MDSGC-affiliated institutions and will not graduate before the end of summer 2026. Applicants may be pursuing any major(s) relevant to aerospace, space science and engineering or NASA’s mission more broadly; however, individual projects may have their own appropriate pre-requisites.
Q: What are the internship dates and must the internship end before the MDSGC Symposium? A: Internships are 10 weeks long and start at the earliest date that works for both mentor and intern, almost always after Memorial Day. Due to start date constraints and possible vacation dates, many internships run another week or two beyond the MDSGC Symposium.
Q: What and when is the MDSGC Symposium? A: MDSGC hosts a one-day symposium in Baltimore in late July or early August at which summer interns are required to present their work and students and mentors from all participating institutions mingle and share experiences. See the 2025 Symposium Program for more information.
RockOn Workshop – June 2026!
RockOn is a sounding rocket payload workshop at Wallops Flight Facility that is an exciting chance for faculty and students to kickstart design-build-fly projects at their home institutions. Participants in the workshop will build a working scientific payload and then see it launch on a real sounding rocket. The 2026 application deadline was February 13.
Subject to available funds, MDSGC intends to sponsor one or more teams for each year’s workshop and encourages prospective Maryland team mentors to apply for team sponsorship. If you are interested for this year or an upcoming year, visit NASA’s RockOn page for information and to apply and also complete the sponsorship application below if you are seeking sponsorship. MDSGC sponsorship is not required for Maryland teams to participate — if you have your own resources, great!
Here is a summary of important information about RockOn 2026:
- Application deadline is 02/13/26 – but why wait?
- 1 faculty mentor from the applicant institution must be willing to attend.
- 2 students from the applicant institution must be able to commit to attending.
- There are no prerequisites. All skills needed at the workshop will be taught at the workshop.
- Attending faculty and students must be U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age.
- Workshop dates are tentatively June 17-25, 2026.
- Location is NASA/Wallops, with hotels nearby in Chincoteague, VA.
- In order for you to participate, NASA must select your application – it’s not automatic.
- MDSGC will sponsor the workshop registration and travel costs for up to three Maryland teams, subject to the availability of funds. Prospective team mentors must complete the application below in advance to request sponsorship.
Application for MDSGC RockOn Sponsorship
Saturday, April 26 – Physics Fair!
Please visit our department on Saturday, April 26 for the JHU Physics Fair, from 11am-5:30pm! Tentatively the observatory will be open from 3-5pm, looking at sunspots.
Scholarship Applications
The regular application period for Academic Year 2026-2027 scholarships closed May 13, 2026. Any student may still submit an off-cycle application for consideration if funding becomes available. For information about the program and to apply, visit the MDSGC Scholarships page.
Wednesday, January 29 (yes, Wednesday!)
We plan to be open from approximately 6:30-8:30 pm to view the “parade of planets”. Hope you can join us!
April 8, 2024: Solar Eclipse
On Monday, April 8th, 2024, the Moon crossed in front of the Sun as seen from much of North America, giving millions of Americans another chance to experience a solar eclipse. Like in October 2023 and August 2017, Maryland experienced a partial solar eclipse. During a partial eclipse the Sun is never fully blocked by the Moon. This means that it is never safe to look directly at a partial eclipse without special eye protection — regular sunglasses are not okay! Please see below for more information on safe observing practices.
From Maryland, the beginning of Monday’s eclipse (aka “first contact”) was be at approximately 2:05 p.m. according to timeanddate.com, depending slightly on the viewer’s location. Maximum eclipse depth of approximately 90% coverage occurred at 3:21 p.m. and the show was all over at around 4:30 p.m.
For eclipse watchers in the Baltimore area, a couple of opportunities to come out (or stay in) and see the spectacle were:
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- On JHU’s Homewood campus – weather permitting – free! Here are some photos from the day.
- At the Maryland Science Center – with paid admission or membership.
- NASA’s online broadcast – free!
Eclipse safety: It is very important not to look at the partial eclipse directly unless you have appropriate eye protection such as special eclipse glasses (NOT regular sunglasses) from a reputable manufacturer. Courtesy of NASA, here is a summary of information about eclipse safety. Key takeaways: either use special eclipse glasses or use an indirect viewing method, such as a projected image from a pinhole camera.
While Maryland experienced only a partial eclipse, a swath of the USA stretching from Texas to New England briefly fell into darkness as the Moon fully covered the Sun, creating the fateful (and amazing) condition known as a total eclipse. The image below shows the approximate locations where this occurred; for more detail see NASA’s Where & When.
To all eclipse watchers, we wish you clear skies!
A visualization of stellar open clusters
Have you ever wished you could venture beyond Earth and explore among the stars? We certainly have. Alas, for the time being such explorations remain in the domain of imagination and science fiction. However, thanks to the precision of modern stellar catalogs, we can map the nearby stars and render their positions on your computer screen, allowing you to explore among them from the comfort of home! Click to access one such stellar visualization, created by MDSGC volunteer M. Prem. The accompanying text explains what is displayed and how it works. Have questions? Please email us at mdsgo@jhu.edu.
Preserving Dark Skies for Astronomy
Happy April! International Dark Sky Week is coming up later this month. We are delighted to invite you to attend a special two-part event in celebration of dark skies!
- 4/15/22 @ 7pm ET – Dark Skies Presentation: Join us on Friday, April 15th at 7pm in room 361 of the Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy (Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus). Dr. Sarah Marie Bruno (JHU), cosmologist, will discuss the impact of satellite constellations on ground-based astronomy, and the importance of preserving dark skies for astronomy and beyond. Light refreshments will be served directly following the talk.
Preserving Dark Skies for Astronomy: The starry night sky has inspired humanity from the dawn of our history. However, the night sky we can see from Baltimore in 2022 looks vastly different from the skies that Galileo Galilei observed with his telescope or the skies that inspired the star stories of indigenous peoples in North America. Artificial lighting from ground-based sources and reflections off satellites can impact astronomy and impede our ability to witness the natural beauty of the skies. The Milky Way, once a fixture of human experience, is now hidden from view for over two thirds of the world’s population. Sadly, light pollution is only getting worse with the increasing number of commercial satellites flooding low-Earth orbits. While satellite constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink will likely boost the global economy and increase internet accessibility worldwide, they will introduce additional light pollution and foreground contamination which may greatly impede astronomical observations from the ground. Specifically, solar reflections, radio frequency transmission, and thermal emission will impact ground-based astronomy in the optical, radio, and microwave frequencies, respectively. Bruno wilI (1) discuss the projected impact of the growing space industry on the field of astronomy, (2) present proposed strategies for mitigating these effects, and (3) reflect on the importance of preserving the dark sky environment not only for astronomy, but for human health and wellbeing.
- 4/15/22 @ 8:30pm ET – Observatory Open House: After Dr. Bruno’s talk, we will migrate up to the roof of the Bloomberg building for an observatory open house. We expect that observing will be possible beginning around 8:30pm. We will use the telescope in the observatory to view the stars and planets and an additional smaller telescope on the roof to observe the Moon. Join us in celebrating the beautiful dark skies above Johns Hopkins campus!
Please note that due to space limitations on the Bloomberg roof, this event is restricted to the first 50 registrants. Please sign up here to attend.
The event is free to attend and free parking will be available on the Upper Muller Lot (located next to the Bloomberg building and accessible off of San Martin Drive.)
Note: This event (both talk and observatory night) is subject to rescheduling depending on the weather. The following Friday (4/22) is a backup day. Registered attendees will receive an email by the evening of April 14th confirming whether the event will take place April 15th or be postponed to April 22nd.
Next Open House
Hoping the clouds will hold off, we’ll be open from approximately 8:30-10:30 tonight.