Observatory Park - Gaithersburg, MD - Municipal Parks and Plazas on Waymarking.com

Long Description:
This observatory, which is the centerpiece of this park, was built in 1899 & along with 5 other observatories built at the same latitude made observations of specific stars. The information was used to calculate the wobble of the Earth's axis.

The other original observatories were located in California, Ohio, Italy, Japan, & Turkestan - all at 39° 08' latitude.

These observatories continued to operate until 1982, when GPS technology rendered them obsolete, although data collected during their operation continues to be of use.

The observatory building and nearby Meridian Pier as well the 5 geodetic survey marks on-site are included in the National Register of Historic Places. The grounds are now maintained by the City of Gaithersburg as a park.

Name: Observatory Park Street Location: 100 DeSellum Avenue Local Municipality: Gaithersburg State/Province, etc.: Maryland Country: United States Web Site: [Web Link] Memorial/Commemoration: International Latitude Observatory Picnic Facilities: none Recreational Facilities: - Walking Path - Benches - Wayside Informational Plaques - Benchmark Hunting (if so inclined) Monuments/Statues: Historic Wayside Plaques, Buildings, Geodetic Survey Marks Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): none Fountains: none Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: none Traditional Geocaches: none Date Established: Not listed Special Events: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
One photo of the park that is a different view from the one on the page, and give the date and description your visit.

Add any additional information that you may have about this park. A GPSr photo is NOT required.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   5/25/2015 Searcher28 visited it