Time traveling at the Cincinnati Observatory

At the Cincinnati Observatory Center in Mt. Lookout, you can see the oldest professional telescope in the country any day. But March 26 offers an opportunity to see rare images, some of which no one has glimpsed for more than 100 years.

"Through the Looking Glass," an old-fashioned slide show presented via a period projector, offers a look back in time to earlier night skies, telescope construction, humor and history. The glass plates have weathered decades - some show key figures of the observatory's past while others reflect events long gone by, including Halley's Comet.

It's a good excuse to visit the observatory, known nationally at the birthplace of astronomy, and its two historic buildings. The main building, an 1873 Samuel Hannaford design, houses the newer 16-inch Clark telescope. The smaller building dates from 1904 and holds the older 11-inch Merz and Mahler telescope. The smaller building's cone-shaped dome is part of a room specially designed for comet-hunting.

Do Good:
• Reserve your spot for the slide show. Shows are scheduled for Sat., March 26 at 7 and 8:30 p.m., and Mon., March 28 at 7 p.m., with an additional show possible if demand is great. Call Dean Regas, 513-321-5186, to reserve your seats.

• Plan a visit. Whether you stop in during the day to see the sun or on a public tour night, you're likely to discover something new and interesting at the Cincinnati Observatory Center.

• Keep the observatory strong. Every donation helps keep entrance costs low and maintenance levels high.

By Elissa Yancey

Photo courtesy Cincinnati Observatory Center