The Edwin E. Aldrin Astronomical Center - nr High Bridge, NJ, USA - People-Named Places on Waymarking.com

About Edwin E (Buzz) Aldrin

The astronomical center is named after Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin. Aldrin was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He earned a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the military academy West Point in 1951. After postgraduate studies, he received a ScD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1963. From his earlier activity as a fighter pilot in the Korean War he won several medals, including the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. Buzz Aldrin was the Lunar Module Eagle pilot on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission and became the second person to walk on the Moon after mission commander Neil Armstrong.

The Astronomical Center

This Observatory houses the largest telescope in New Jersey that is open to the public and the center is named after New Jersey born astronaut Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin. The New Jersey Astronomical Association runs the Center. The Center us open to the public on most Saturdays and some Sundays throughout the year, except for December and January.

From the center's Website, we have some description of the major equipment:

"The heart of the telescope is the primary mirror which is 26 inches in diameter. The instrument is currently a Newtonian with a focal ratio of f/4, but is soon to be converted to a Cassegrain design. The telescope mount, a modified German Equatorial, is from Indiana University, where it had been used in experimental work. Its mount is a massive iron casting nearly seven feet high and its foundation penetrates twenty feet underground to the mountain's bedrock! The entire assembly weighs over four tons, and towers fifteen feet above the floor. The Observatory is equipped for both photographic and visual observation. Using auxiliary equipment, spectrographic, CCD and other studies are possible. But that's not all! The Observatory has a number of smaller scopes including the 10 inch Robinson scope, a 12 1/2 inch Newtonian telescope, and a specially designed solar scope built by the Solar Focus Group. But we're still not finished! There are a number of club telescopes that members, who don't have scopes of their own, can borrow for an evening of observing on the grounds of the Observatory."

Source: http://njaa.org/

The Observatory is located at 840 ft elevation in Voorhees State Park.

Year it was dedicated: 1965 Location of Coordinates: Astronomical Center and Observatory Related Web address (if available): [Web Link] Type of place/structure you are waymarking: Building with lots of telescopes!

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