On Friday, May 2, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fourth Floor Classroom of McMaster Hall on the University of Toledo Main Campus, the Toledo Astronomical Association will host a presentation by Dan Galdun on the Observatory Park being developed by Geauga Park District.
In 2003, purchased a large tract of land in Montville Township, an area that had long been recognized by astronomers as one of the few regions left in Northeast Ohio that had not yet been affected by light pollution. After a series of additional acquisitions, and the addition in 2008 of 280 adjacent acres that included the Nassau Observatory, formerly owned and operated by Case Western Reserve University, the District undertook to develop a park dedicated to amateur astronomers.Much of this park is now completed and open for use including the Robert McCullough Science Center which includes a planetarium and displays.
Nearby is the Oberle Observatory with a 25″ Newtonian telescope dedicated to public use. Facilities for amateur astronomers to engage in their own viewing are provided as is solar system “walk”. The Park District is presently working on restoring the Nassau observatory with its 36″ Schmidt Cassegrain for public use.
Mr. Galdun is a naturalist for the park system volunteering at Observatory Park. He has also been involved with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s astronomy program. He will discuss the park, its development and its operations. This presentation is free and the public is invited.
The Toledo Astronomical Association is a group of amateurs interested in all facets of Astronomy. The Association maintains telescopes at Pioneer Scout Reservation and portable telescopes in the Greater Toledo Area. The Association presents star parties and other viewing activities for its members, groups, organizations and the general public as well as a monthly series of speakers addressing astronomical topics.
For more information contact Frank S. Merritt, frank.merritt@utoledo.edu, 419-535-8775, or check our website.
