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What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend?

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  What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend? With the full Moon falling on Saturday Night and some cloud cover predicted, this may not be the best weekend for your first trip to the Community Observatory. White light is the enemy of good nighttime seeing. Even a short glimpse of white light can suppress your night vision for twenty minutes. That is why we try to limit the light at the observatory to red or green. The one brilliant white light that we can’t control is the Moon. The number of stars that can be seen on a full moon night is a fraction of the ones you can see when there is no moon. Nevertheless, there will still be things to see. Both Saturn and Neptune will be visible in our scopes. Neptune is a dim blueish speck in even our biggest scopes. We often joke that we could pick almost any star and tell the public that it is Neptune. We don’t do that, however. We try to center the blue dot in our scope and make it easy for you to find. It isn...
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  What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend? Join us on Saturday night for our public 20 th Anniversary Celebration AND the “International Observe the Moon Night.” There will be fun and informative activities for everyone. We expect to have clear skies and a beautiful waxing moon for both Friday and Saturday night. The inspiration for the Community Observatory came in 2005 when Rotary International celebrated its 100th anniversary. Each local chapter was challenged to do something awesome for their community. The Cameron Park Rotary Club came up with an auspicious goal, to build an observatory that would be free and open to the public. To make the story short, they did a great job of gathering funds, resources, and volunteer labor. We opened to the public in 2006. We have continually grown and expanded our reach. Come join us to see how far we have come. There will be prizes and gifts! Did you know that we are a part of NASA’s Night Sky Network? T...
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  What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend? This weekend should be ideal for visiting the observatory, with clear, cloudless skies expected. The New Moon occurs on Thursday, September 10th, leaving only a thin crescent that will set early Friday and Saturday. The Sun is setting shortly after 7 PM so it will be very dark by the time we open at 9 PM. We are in the shoulder season between Summer and Autumn. That means that the Milky Way with its marvelous nebulae and clusters will still be overhead and the fall constellations are rising in the East. Those Fall objects that are coming into view again include the Andromeda Galaxy, the Pegasus Globular Cluster, and the Double Cluster in Perseus. My personal favorite star is Capella which is rising in the Northeast during our public viewings this season. It appears to be a star about the same temperature and color as our Sun. But the similarities end there. It is actually four stars with two large yellow giant ...
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  What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend? We have a favorable Moon that doesn’t rise until midnight and weather that mostly seems to be cooperating. Clouds have been obscuring much of our night sky this week but the forecast is for scattered clouds on both Friday and Saturday nights. We are rapidly approaching Fall and many of our favorite targets are rotating into view. Among our favorite fall targets are: ·        The Andromeda Galaxy – the closest full sized galaxy to the Milky Way at only 2.5 million light years. It is also the only object outside our galaxy thet is visible to the naked eye. ·        M15, the Pegasus Globular Cluster is a bright ball of 100,000 stars. ·        The Double Cluster is in the Perseus Constellation is two dense open clusters visible in the same field of view. ·        The beautiful star C...
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What Can You Expect to See at the Community Observatory This Week

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The water supply at the Observatory has been restored! We are hoping to be open from 8–10PM on Thursday, August 27 for the lunar eclipse, but unfortunately, Mother Nature may have other plans. As of right now, the weather forecast is not looking very promising, with even our most optimistic forecast calling for around 78% cloud cover for Thursday night. The lunar eclipse will already be underway when the Moon rises, with maximum coverage of approximately 96% occurring around 9:13 PM. The good news is that you don’t need to be at the Observatory or have any special equipment to enjoy the eclipse! As long as the Moon is visible from your location, you’ll be able to watch the event with your own eyes. If you do choose to join us at the Community Observatory, our docents will have telescopes aimed at the Moon, giving you an up-close look at the eclipse and all of its incredible lunar detail. August 28 & 29, 2026 (9:00–11:00 PM) Summer is winding down, but the evening sky at the Placerv...
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What Can You expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend?

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What Can You expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend? The moon doesn’t set until about midnight on Friday & Saturday, so it will be available to view! Unfortunately, we recently entered somewhat of a “planetary drought” during our public hours. Venus is now setting at around 9:30pm & will be very low on the horizon by the time we open. Saturn doesn’t rise until after 9:45pm & *might* be above the trees before we close, but unfortunately we do not want to make any promises about that since it’s going to be very close.  It is still Milky Way season which brings a spectacular variety of star clusters and nebulae into view! The magnificent Andromeda Galaxy is also beginning to make its return to the northeastern sky. For some of the best views of these incredible deep-sky objects, be sure to stop by our East Scope inside the observatory. Join us from 9 PM until 11PM on Friday or Saturday. Be sure to check www.communityobservatory.com after 3PM on the day you...
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  What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend? We had our largest crowd ever at the observatory on August 12 th for the Perseid Meteor Shower. Our WAG (Wild A$$  Guess) is that there were 2,500 people. Everyone got to see meteors AND the planet Saturn. What is amazing was that most of our visitors refused to get frustrated with the long lines and crowded conditions. I went back today to pick up any trash and there was virtually none.  We have wonderful visitors! So, what if you missed Wednesday night? Will you still be able to see meteors this weekend? The answer is a definite maybe. The thin crescent moon won't be an issue. The Perseid Meteor shower does have a long active window lasting from July 14 th until August 24th. That being said, the number per hour that you are likely to see drops off significantly after the peak. Our next big shower will be the Geminids which peak on Sunday, December 13 th . There will be a favorable moon that night ...
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