Observatory engages community through stargazing events

The Cincinnati Observatory is truly a 19th Century landmark, built in 1873 by Samuel Hannaford and home to one of the world’s oldest working telescopes. In an effort to turn back the clock to those days, a number of restorations in the past 15 years have helped “demodernize” the facility located on the edge of Ault Park.
 
“We like to make things how it used to be,” says Dean Regas, outreach astronomer for the observatory. “With the restorations, we wanted to get back to craftsmanship and give people a more authentic experience.”
 
For example, the observatory’s two domes used to be operated by a motor. After seeing in a book that the domes used to be operated by a hand crank, Regas resurrected the hand cranks from the observatory basement and installed them.
 
The observatory has two telescopes — an 11-inch Merz and Mahler refractor that was built in 1842 and a 16-inch Alvan Clark and Sons refractor from 1904. The telescopes are used daily by the public during a number of events as well as on Astronomy Thursdays and Fridays. Admission ranges from $5 to $15 depending on the event.
 
For the past 10 years the observatory has hosted end-of-the-year school fieldtrips, many of which result from observatory staff going into classrooms and talking about astronomy.
 
Upcoming events for the general public include planet-themed nights, where people can see unobstructed views of the month’s most visible planet; Sunday Sun-day Sundae on June 14, which is an ice cream social with solar viewing; and the third Celestial Sips Wine Tasting Event on June 20 to celebrate the summer solstice.
 
This year, the observatory is partnering with Wurst Bar for the Wurst Date Night Ever on July 23. Participants will start at Wurst Bar, 3204 Linwood Ave. in Mt. Lookout, take a shuttle up to the observatory for a night under the stars and then head back to the bar for happy hour.
 
On Aug. 29, the observatory is also hosting a starlit picnic on the lawn. Guests can bring a picnic and watch the sun set and the moon rise over the city.
 
Apart from the observatory’s many events, the University of Cincinnati, which owns the observatory, uses the telescopes for a number of classes, including continuing education classes through the Communiversity program. 
 
For more information on the observatory’s programming, visit its website.