Community Observatory

Hello Stargazers, today we continue featuring amazing astrophotography of our docent Frank Dibbell. The Heart (IC1805) and the Soul (IC1848) Nebulae are in constellation Cassiopeia ('W' shaped pattern visible in the Northern sky), about 6,000 light-years away from Earth. Together these two nebulas span about 300 light-years, according to NASA. The beautiful Heart Nebula has in its center an open cluster of stars known as Melotte 15, which contains several bright stars nearly 50 times the mass of our sun.

This Giving Tuesday, consider supporting your Community Observatory. Donation link is on our homepage. Thank You for your support!

Catch some great views of our SUN! Our docents will set up solar telescopes for safe views of the Sun. Saturday Nov 7 from 9am-Noon. Please wear your mask and practice social distancing.

We are OPEN SATURDAY Oct 17. NEW Fall-Winter hours 7:30pm-9:30pm, Free parking! This is clouds-weather permitting of course - please check our website before departing for the Observatory. VISITOR GUIDELINES: Facemasks: All Docents will be wearing face masks/coverings. We request that all visitors wear them as well (per the latest government guidelines). ... Visitors/family units requested to wait six feet apart, at designated markers, in a line/sit together in the Sky Theater. One person/family unit may visit the telescope at a time. Docents will wipe the telescopes with disinfectant wipes. Enjoy your visit and thank you for supporting your Community Observatory. This image is taken from our telescopes: The 'Whirlpool Galaxy', also known as Messier 51a, M51a

We are OPEN TONIGHT! SATURDAY Nov 14. NEW Fall-Winter hours 7:30pm-9:30pm, Free parking! This is clouds-weather permitting of course - please check our website before departing for the Observatory. VISITOR GUIDELINES: Facemasks: All Docents will be wearing face masks/coverings. We request that all visitors wear them as well (per the latest government guidelines). Social Distancing: Visitors/family units requested to wait six feet apart, at designated markers, in a line/sit ...together in the Sky Theater. One person/family unit may visit the telescope at a time. Docents will wipe the telescopes with disinfectant wipes. See more

We are OPEN Sunday Oct 11th 9pm-11pm, Free parking! This is clouds-weather permitting of course - please check our website before departing for the Observatory. VISITOR GUIDELINES: Facemasks: All Docents will be wearing face masks/coverings. We request that all visitors wear them as well (per the latest government guidelines). ... Visitors/family units requested to wait six feet apart, at designated markers, in a line/sit together in the Sky Theater. One person/family unit may visit the telescope at a time. Docents will wipe the telescopes with disinfectant wipes. Enjoy your visit and thank you for supporting your Community Observatory.

Hello Stargazers! Here is another stunning image from our Astrophotographer-Docent Frank Dibbell. The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is a cosmic cloud of space gas located in the constellation Cassiopeia. This nebula gets its name from the classic video game character it resembles. Cassiopeia is visible year-round as it rotates around Polaris/The North Star. #stargazing #astrophotography

Catch great views of the Sun! Our docents will set up solar telescopes for safe views of the Sun. Saturday Oct 3 from 9am-Noon. Please wear your mask and practice social distancing.

Stargazers join our friends at NASA in celebrating International Observe the Moon Night 2020. https://blogs.nasa.gov//international-observe-the-moon-ni/

Hello Stargazers! Here is a tip from our 'Star-Tour'. How YOU can spot 'Polaris' also known as the 'North Star'. Look for the constellation Big Dipper. The 2 outermost stars in the bowl of the Dipper always point to Polaris. (Image via EarthSky)

Our Docents will be setting up Solar Telescopes for you to view the Sun on Saturday 5th Sept, 9am - Noon by Sherwood Gardens. Take a safe look at our closest star!!

Continuing our series of astrophotography by our docents. This is an image of Perseid meteor shower by docent Nick Maupin!

Hello Stargazers! It is time for the annual Perseid meteor shower which peaks on the morning of August 12th. The last-quarter moon will interfere with visibility of most fainter Perseid meteors this year, but you'll still be able to see a few brighter ones, including the occasional "fireball." You can view them from any dark place. The best time to look is in the pre-dawn hours on Aug. 12, but around midnight to dawn any morning the week before or after should produce a few meteors. The Perseids generally appear to radiate from a point high in the North. To view them, just point yourself generally toward the north and look up. Here is a handy article with more information. Enjoy! https://www.space.com/32868-perseid-meteor-shower-guide.html

We regret that in view of recent COVID-19 directive from State of California, Community Observatory will be closed until further notice. We will monitor guidance from authorities to decide on future re-open options. Please refer to our website calendar for updates. Thank you for your understanding

Stargazers! There is a fairly bright comet NEOWISE visible in the wee hours before dawn (~4:15am). The comet is named after the space telescope (Near Earth Orbit Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer) that discovered it. If you have a clear "to the horizon" view in the northeast you should be able to see it with the unaided eye. Here is an image captured by our Docent/Astrophotographer Frank Dibbell earlier this week. If you are not an early riser, not to worry as it will appear in the evening sky next week.

Observatory Next Open Dates: Friday, July 10, 9-11pm; Friday, July 24, 9-11pm; Sat Aug 1, 10am-Noon {Solar Viewing}. This is weather permitting of course - please check our website before departing for the Observatory.... Please note: (a) The restrooms are closed at this point in time to ensure safety during the COVID-19 situation. (b) Free Parking! Visitor GUIDELINES: Facemasks: All Docents will be wearing face masks/coverings. We respectfully request that all visitors wear them as well (per the latest government guidelines). Unfortunately, we do not have any face masks/coverings to hand out. Visitors/family units requested to wait six feet apart, at designated markers, in a line/sit together in the Sky Theater. One person/family unit may visit the telescope at a time. Docents will wipe the telescopes with disinfectant wipes. Enjoy your visit and thank you for supporting your Community Observatory.

Solar Viewing at the Observatory Sat July 4th. Weather permitting (always check our website before arriving for weather closures!), the Observatory will be open for safe solar viewing on Saturday, July 4th, 10 am-Noon. A couple of telescopes are available for safe solar viewing through solar filters. Telescopes will be stationed at the observatory (not the Sherwood Garden)... We are still evaluating the effectiveness of our safe viewing practices for the possible opening of the Observatory for night time viewing. A decision thereof will be made at a future date. Please note - The restrooms are closed at this point in time to ensure safety during the COVID-19 situation. Visitor Guidelines: * Facemasks* All Docents will be wearing face masks/coverings. We respectfully request that all visitors wear them as well, as we begin the process of re-opening the Observatory. Unfortunately, we do not have any face masks/coverings to hand out. One person/family unit may visit the telescope at a time. Visitors/family units requested to wait six feet apart in a line. Docents will wipe the telescopes with disinfectant wipes. Enjoy your visit and thank you for supporting your Community Observatory.

Observatory Re-Opening Update: The Community Observatory will re-open; for one night; as a test of using our new procedures to keep Docents and visitors safe on Friday, June 26, 2020, from 9:00-11:00 pm (please note the new opening and closing times). This is weather permitting of course - please check our website before departing for the Observatory. We will use this event to test our procedures so we can evaluate the possible opening of the Observatory for regular nightt...ime viewing. No reservations are required. We will operate a couple of telescopes including viewing deep-sky objects on a high-definition monitor. Docents will also conduct sky-tours in our Sky Theater. Visitors will be seated to ensure safe social distancing. Families can sit together in a group. Please note: (a) The restrooms are closed at this point in time to ensure safety during the COVID-19 situation. (b) Free Parking! Visitor Guidelines: Facemasks: All Docents will be wearing face masks/coverings. We respectfully request that all visitors wear them as well (per latest government guidelines) as we begin the process of re-opening the Observatory. Unfortunately, we do not have any face masks/coverings to hand out. Visitors/family units requested to wait six feet apart, at designated markers, in a line/sit together in the Sky Theater. One person/family unit may visit the telescope at a time. Docents will wipe the telescopes with disinfectant wipes. Enjoy your visit and thank you for supporting your Community Observatory.