Cameron Park Rotary Club Community Observatory
The cosmos is closer in the foothills! The Cameron Park Rotary Community Observatory is your window to the night sky! See the stars through the 14-inch reflecting telescopes on a clear dark night. Follow planets or the moon as they travel across the sky. Bring the whole family for an unforgettable experience in the foothills of El Dorado County. The observatory was conceived by the Rotary Club of Cameron Park as a community service project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Rotary International. The Rotary Club members raised all of the funds and donated time and materials to build the observatory on land owned by the El Dorado County Office of Education adjacent to the El Dorado Center of Folsom Lake College. Once the observatory was completed, the Rotary Club donated the observatory to the community and it is jointly administered by the Rotary Club, the El Dorado Center of Folsom Lake College and the El Dorado County Office of Education. The observatory is open free of charge to the general public on most Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Click here for next weekend’s public viewing hours. Week nights are available to be scheduled for community groups, contact (530) 295-2261 for more information. Observatory Information |
Click here to view current observatory open/close status.
Heavenly News & Views
As we enter the new year, another opportunity to share our passion for amateur astronomy has been put into motion. Starting January 7th, the Mountain Democrat will be running a column entitled "Heavenly News & Views" to be authored by members of the observatory docent team. This is an opportunity to share timely cosmic events with the public and to promote the observatory. Click the link below to view the full article as a pdf file.
April 20, 2008 - "Spectacular Saturn"
April 7 , 2008 - "Galaxy Season is open for Viewing ”
March 17, 2008 - "Messier Around All Night"
March 3, 2008 - "Messier Objects or some Non-Comets"
February 18, 2008 - "February's Stunning Total Lunar Eclipse"
February 2, 2008 - "Color in the Night Sky"
January 21, 2008 - "Check Out The Morning Sky"
January 7, 2008 - "Mars - The Red Planet"
Objects to View in the May Sky
Planets
- Saturn
Galaxies
- M101
- M108
- M65
- M66
- NGC3628
- NGC4565
- NGC4656
- M64
Globular Cluster
- M53
- M3
- M5
Double Star
- Iota Cancri
- Cor Caroli
Carbon Star
- Y Canum Venaticorum
El Dorado Center of the Folsom Lake College
and the Cameron Park Rotary Club
