Observatory
The Observatory will be open on March 7 and 21, from 8:00pm - 10:00pm. If it is clear, we will take out telescopes and look at some beautiful astronomical objects. We also give a tour of the facility, which includes the one-tenth scale model of the Hale Telescope at Mt. Palomar and images that we have taken with the telescopes on campus.
The Observatory will be open the first and third Fridays of the month for the spring semester: February 7 and 21, March 7 and 21, April 4 and 18, May 2 and 16. Beginning in April, the observatory will change our hours - we will be open from 8:30pm - 10:30pm. No prior reservations are required, but if you have a group of greater than 10 people that you would like to bring to the observatory, call 607-962-9494 and leave a message with a phone number so we can return your call.
Parking for the Observatory is available in the Digital Dome parking lot. Parking at the Observatory is reserved for our visitors who require accessible parking. All of our events are free and open to the public!
If you are interested in attending a Digital Dome Show, please check out their link here.
EVENTS
Amateur Astronomical Spectroscopy
Steven Conard, former lead engineer for the LORRI camera on the New Horizons mission to Pluto
March 7, 2025
7:30 pm at the Eileen Collins Observatory
Spectroscopic measurements performed by amateurs have become much more common the past 10 years. Low-cost instrumentation including the Star Analyzer series, Shelyak's moderately priced slitted spectrometers, and various 3D printed, homebrewed instruments have provided a path into potential Pro-Am research opportunities. The first half of this presentation will consist of a brief introduction to spectroscopy and discussion of potential uses in amateur astronomy. This will be followed by a live demonstration of a hand-held Sekonic C-7000 industrial spectrometer and a Shelyak Alpy 600 astronomical spectrometer. We will view live spectra from various light sources. The audience in encouraged to bring (safe!) light sources and we will record their spectra. Also welcome would be astronomical filters for measurement of their transmission.
This talk is part of our monthly meeting of the Elmira-Corning Astronomical Society. All are welcome!
Total Lunar Eclipse - Pi Day Eclipse!
March 13-14
Penumbral phase begins at 11:58pm on March 13
Partial phase begins at 1:09am on March 14
Maximum eclipse (totality) is at 2:58am on March 14
We are not sure if the observatory will be open at this time. Viewing of this event is weather dependent. Since you can view the eclipse anywhere in the Corning/Elmira area, we would recommend staying where you are to view it - especially since this eclipse occurs over the late night/morning hours. Here is a website that you can use to find your location and all of the details about the eclipse!
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2025-march-14
TELESCOPES
We have many types and sizes of telescopes here at our Observatory. Our two largest telescopes are both reflectors — the 20" and the 16". Our 20" telescope is the one-tenth scale model of the Hale Telescope at Mount Palomar in California.
We have 14", 12", 10", 8", and 6" reflectors that were built by members of the Elmira-Corning Astronomical Society. We have 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain reflectors in addition to 4" refractors and a solar telescope.
Everything at the observatory is free and open to the public! Please note that most of our time is spent outside, if the weather is clear. So please dress for the weather!
Parking is available in the Planetarium parking lot. The only parking at the Observatory is reserved for our visitors requiring accessible parking.
Questions?
Deborah Dann, Director of the Observatory