Visited the Cincinnati Observatory Center

It's hard to believe nowadays but years ago the state of Ohio was a leader in the science of astronomy. The two oldest existing observatories in the U.S. are here in the Buckeye State: the Loomis Observatory in Hudson and the Cincinnati Observatory Center with its two domed buildings and its original telescope dating to 1843. (Shown here is the "new" telescope: a 1904 Alvan Clark & Sons 16-inch refractor.) I was visiting as a participant in the Antique Telescope Society's special thematic workshop "The Vintage Astronomical Observatory: Thriving in the Twenty-First Century." The Cincinnati observatory is a success story for, while most research roles for this science center dropped away a long time ago, the institution and its assets survive and flourish. Public interest in the historical and educational value of the place keep it going.

While we had free run of the facilities the weekend weather was uncooperative. I was able to catch a fleeting and somewhat fuzzy glimpse of Saturn "Saturn's Day" night through the big Clark and that was about it. It was a surprisingly good view --for literally couple of seconds until the clouds closed back in-- with several moons, some cloud bands (on Saturn) and even the Cassini Division visible! Hanging out with the Observatory's astronomers was fun, though. Casual conversation and hands-on experiences with the equipment made for an enjoyable night despite the ugly sky. I was honored to be allowed to open the dome's shutter for the night, crank up the drive weights (all 350 lbs.), and I was allowed, even requested, to operate the great telescope's slow-motion control. That machine runs great: even a little twist of the hand-operated R.A. knob was enough to smoothly nudge the behemoth instrument a bit to one side to center Saturn in the field of view. I was very disappointed not to have been able to look better and longer through what is plainly a tremendous telescope. I had no chance to observe though the 1843 Merz and Mahler 12-inch scope which has, outside of its scientific work, afforded the public views of the heavens through the entirety of its existence. I must return there one day. Big thank-you to the staff of the Cincinnati Observatory Center!

The coming weekend isn't looking good for this year's Astronomy Day open house and public night at Stephens. Long-range forecast is for mostly cloudy with a chance of rain Saturday, May 10. We shall see. It's that kind of frequent weather that helped drive major observatories out of business in Ohio. Encouraging, however, is what seems to be increasing public interest in the night sky and it is personally gratifying to be involved in that.