The SF State Observatory kicked off its first night of observation for the semester with a lit up sky on Sept. 10.

The observatory, built in the 1970s, is located on the ninth floor of Thornton Hall and is run by students at the College of Science and Engineering. There is a roll-top roof and four telescopes in the observatory that students can use to see the moon, nearby planets and stars up close.

Jeirus Jose, manager of the SF State observatory, stated, “This is an amazing observatory night, the planets are literally aligned.” Neptune was seen visibly aligned with the telescopes, as well as Jupiter and Venus.

According to the manager, the San Francisco sky is often too cloudy to get a good sight of the solar system, and this night was particularly clear. The observatory is open Monday through Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on most clear nights. Students can check the observatory’s Facebook page to see live updates.