Astronomy club's public observatory takes shape at Hemlock Crossing

Dec 11, 2023

WEST OLIVE — Visitors to Hemlock Crossing will notice a striking new feature near its trailhead this weekend: the bright-white dome of an observatory that will soon be open for public stargazing.

On Friday, a crane lifted the fiberglass dome and placed it onto its circular base, constructed by members of the Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association.

After achieving its fundraising goals to build the observatory, the SAAA, a club for hobbyist astronomers, broke ground last fall. SAAA members have done much of the design and construction work themselves.

A 16-inch computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope will be permanently mounted on a steel pedestal, put in place by a crane Friday morning.

Subscribe:Learn more about our latest subscription offers!

Exacting adjustments will be made in the coming days to align the angle of the telescope's mount precisely with the rotational axis of the Earth, enabling the telescope to fix its view on objects in the sky and stay fixed on them throughout the day.

The club, in partnership with Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, hopes the observatory can be open for public use as often as once a week.

Over the next several weeks, club members will continue work on weather-proofing the dome, installing electrical wiring and installing pieces of the dome that will slide open to the sky when the observatory is in use.

An opening date hasn't yet been announced.

— Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens.