Clay Science Center Astronomical Observatory - Brookline, MA - Astronomical Observatories on Waymarking.com

In the town of Brookline, MA, near the southern border with Boston, is the Clay Science Center within the Dexter and Southfield school grounds. On top of the fifth floor of the science center is a shiny astronomical dome that houses several telescopes.

The main telescope is a 25" f/9.6 Ritchey-Chretien Optics. This telescope is mounted such that the floor of the observatory is supported by three tube legs that extend through the five floors to the rock under the building. This is to isolate the telescope from the noise and vibration from the building. Mounted on this telescope are other, smaller telescopes, including a 7" Apochromatic Refractor and a 4" Takahashi Astrograph. There is also a 70mm Hydrogen-alpha telescope for sun viewing.

One thing that limits the telescope is the darkness of the skies. The Clay Science Center is in a residential area, however it is only a few miles from the center of Boston. This limits, but does not prevent viewing of stars, galaxies, and other objects.

Today, the observatory is participating in astronomical research. According to the web site, the observatory collaborating with the United States Naval Observatory on a Fourier Transform Spectrograph project. In the past, it helped track the Stardust comet probe capsule as it re-entered earth's atmosphere.

There are public viewing nights on the first Tuesday of the month, and other nights when advertised. See the web site for the schedule.
This place is a private school, and, thus, you should be respectful of the days that the public is invited.

Source:
Clay Science Center Web Site:
(visit link)

Observatory Purpose: Private Optical / Infrared Telescopes?: Yes Radio Telescopes?: No Solar Telescopes?: Yes Open to the Public?: Yes Is this a Club Observatory?: No Public Viewing Allowed?: Yes Active Observatory?: Active Number of Telescopes or Antennas: 3 to 5 Site URL: [Web Link] Year Dedicated or Opened: 2002 Altitude (meters): 85

Visit Instructions:
Note the time of day of your visit, and your own photo of your favorite part of the observatory. This might be the view from the observatory, picture of your favorite building or favorite exhibit. (Be mindful of flash photography rules!)

If you participated in an observing session, let everyone know what you saw!

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