Ashton Observatory

Ashton Observatory is a public astronomical observatory operated by the Des Moines Astronomical Society, in collaboration with Jasper County, Iowa (USA). It is located in Ashton-Wildwood County Park near Baxter, Iowa. Public programs are presented on Saturday evenings in the months of April through October, except for the first Saturday of each month.[1] These public nights have been cancelled for 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[2]

Ashton Observatory
OrganizationThe Des Moines Astronomical Society
LocationIowa
Coordinates41.813359°N 93.288211°W / 41.813359; -93.288211
Altitude260 m (850 ft)
Established1983
Website
Telescopes
West Dome16-inch, f/4.5 Newtonian
East Dome16-inch Meade Reflector
Location of Ashton Observatory

The Building

Built in 1983, the observatory originally consisted of two domes connected by a small room. Each dome houses a 16 inch aperture telescope, and can accommodate about one dozen people. In 2002 a 30 by 30 foot classroom was added to the building's north side, allowing for public presentations to groups of up to 50 visitors. The classroom was badly damaged by the August 2020 Midwest derecho, and is being extensively renovated.

South of the building there are several concrete pads upon which portable telescopes can be deployed to accommodate star parties.

The Mural
The northside mural

A colorful mural covers the exterior north side of the building. The 270 square foot mural, commissioned by the Jasper County Conservation Department, depicts the southern night sky as seen from the observatory including the planet positions at the time of the mural's creation (summer 2019) over a prairie scene. The stars and planets were painted with phosphorescent paint, making them visible in the dark after sunset. The mural was created by local artists Lauren Roush and Pauli Zmolek from Newton. Ms Roush, an art teacher, recruited around 40 young students to help in the early stages of painting on site. It was dedicated on September 7, 2019.[3]

Public Nights

Public programs are presented every Saturday night during the months of April through October, except for the first Saturday of each month. The programs begin with a lecture on an astronomy-related topic at 8:00 PM CDT. Following the lecture and weather permitting, visitors are shown objects such as the Moon, planets and bright nebulae through the telescopes in the observatory domes, and a few smaller telescopes deployed outside of the observatory. The lecture topics are available posted online early each year.[4]

Private Visits

For a small fee, groups may schedule private visits on any night except Saturday night. Groups as large as 50 people can be accommodated. Volunteer telescope operators will support viewing astronomical objects through the observatory's telescopes.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Ashton Observatory". Ashton Observatory. Des Moines Astronomical Society.
  2. "What's Happening". Ashton Public Nights. Des Moines Astronomical Society. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  3. "Jasper County Conservation Board Quarterly Newsletter" (Summer 2019). Jasper County Conservation Board. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  4. "Ashton Public Nights Schedule" (PDF). Ashton Public Nights Schedule. Des Moines Astronomival Society. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  5. "Group Visit Information". Private Visit. Des Moines Astronomical Society. Retrieved 27 October 2020.


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