Cameron Park Rotary Club Community Observatory
The cosmos is closer in the foothills! The Cameron Park Rotary Community Observatory is your window to the night sky! See the stars through the 14-inch reflecting telescopes on a clear dark night. Follow planets or the moon as they travel across the sky. Bring the whole family for an unforgettable experience in the foothills of El Dorado County. The observatory was conceived by the Rotary Club of Cameron Park as a community service project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Rotary International. The Rotary Club members raised all of the funds and donated time and materials to build the observatory on land owned by the El Dorado County Office of Education adjacent to the El Dorado Center of Folsom Lake College. Once the observatory was completed, the Rotary Club donated the observatory to the community and it is jointly administered by the Rotary Club, the El Dorado Center of Folsom Lake College and the El Dorado County Office of Education. The observatory is open free of charge to the general public on most Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Click here for next weekend’s public viewing hours. Week nights are available to be scheduled for community groups, contact (530) 295-2261 for more information. Observatory Information Docents Terpe and Kemppainen and Professor Regan Discover New Astroid! |
Click here to view current observatory open/close status.
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy
The Community Observatory will be holding a special program each month that will highlight a particular area of Astronomy. Our special programs will be extended public programs on one Saturday evening each month and will have a theme associated with them. January’s program occurs on the evening of the 24th, and the theme is “Telescopes – Eyes on the Universe”. We will have a presentation, using a simple optical setup that visitors can touch and explore, on how telescopes work. The object in the sky under telescopic scrutiny for the month will be the planet Venus. The program will run from 6pm till 10pm.
Heavenly News & Views
As we enter the new year, another opportunity to share our passion for amateur astronomy has been put into motion. Starting January 7th, the Mountain Democrat will be running a column entitled "Heavenly News & Views" to be authored by members of the observatory docent team. This is an opportunity to share timely cosmic events with the public and to promote the observatory. Click the link below to view the full article as a pdf file.
December 25, 2008 - "The Mysterious Christmas Star"
December 15, 2008 - "Enjoying Binocular Astronomy"
December 1, 2008 - "Lassoing the Moon"
November 3, 2008 - "Leonids Meteor Shower"
October 13, 2008 -“A Blessing in Disguise”
September 30, 2008 - "Star Clusters"
September 1, 2008 - “Venus, Our Sister Planet”
August 15, 2008 - "Doughnuts and Dumbbells"
July 30, 2008 - "What does it take to be an Observatory Docent?"
June 27, 2008 - "By Jove"
June, 12, 2008 -“Our Mysterious Moon”
June, 2008 - "What's In A Week"
May 12, 2008 -“Getting to Know Constellations”
April 20, 2008 - "Spectacular Saturn"
April 7 , 2008 - "Galaxy Season is open for Viewing ”
March 17, 2008 - "Messier Around All Night"
March 3, 2008 - "Messier Objects or some Non-Comets"
February 18, 2008 - "February's Stunning Total Lunar Eclipse"
February 2, 2008 - "Color in the Night Sky"
January 21, 2008 - "Check Out The Morning Sky"
January 7, 2008 - "Mars - The Red Planet"
Are you interested in becoming an observatory docent? If so, please complete a docent application and email it to docentapps@sbcglobal.net
Objects to View in the January Sky
Galaxies
- M77
- IC 342
Supernova Remnant
- M1
Open Cluster
- NGC 869/884
- M36
- M37
Emission Nebula
- NGC 7635
- M42
Reflection Nebula
- M42
- NGC 7023/LBN487
Planetary Nebula
- M76
Dark Nebula
- B33
Multiple Star
- Iota Cassiopeiae
Double Star
- Eta Cassiopeiae
Carbon Star
- Mu Cephei
Observatory Telephone Number: (530) 642-5621 ext. 9
El Dorado County Office of Education,
El Dorado Center of the Folsom Lake College
and the Cameron Park Rotary Club
