Join members of the Pinnacles Astronomy Club, led by Jeff Hutton, for a trip to Cincinnati for a tour the oldest observatory in continuous use in America. Founded in 1845 with the installation of a telescope that was, for its time, the second largest in the world, The Cincinnati Observatory was decreed to be a municipal observatory, not associated with a research institution. This commitment to public education continues today with regular public viewings through the two large telescopes, including the original 1845 Merz und Mahler refractor.
The Cincinnati Observatory is associated with the establishment of standard time zones and its founder, Civil War General Ormsby Macknight Mitchell, invented the first global positioning system without satellites! A later director of the facility founded the National Weather Service.
The date for this tour will be April 23. This will be a daytime visit, beginning at 2:30. The cost is $100 for a group of 15. I’m capping the limit at 15 to get the best price ($7.00 per person if we have that many). We will meet at 11:45 in the church parking lot and carpool for the trip. At present, we have 8 participants signed up.
If you’d like to register to go, please contact Jeff Hutton at jeffp.hutton@gmail.com or leave a message at 859-237-4014.
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