Goldendale Observatory State Park

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Goldendale Observatory State Park
Observation domes in the park

Observation domes in the park

location Goldendale , Klickitat County, Washington, USA
Area / extent 2 ha / 200 m
Geographical location 45 ° 50 ′  N , 120 ° 49 ′  W Coordinates: 45 ° 50 ′ 20 "  N , 120 ° 48 ′ 55"  W
Goldendale Observatory State Park (Washington)
Goldendale Observatory State Park
Setup date 1981
particularities International Dark Sky Park ; Starlight Reserve DSAG 1 (since 2010)
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The Goldendale Observatory State Park consists of a public observatory with a 24.5-inch Cassegrain telescope . The 2 hectare state park is located 640 m high on a hill north of Goldendale in Klickitat County of the US state Washington.

history

The four hobby astronomers from Vancouver MW McConnell, OW VanderVeldon, John Marshall and Don Conner had the idea in 1964 to build a large telescope themselves. However, since the night sky in Vancouver is relatively often overcast due to climatic conditions and the light pollution also makes astronomical observations difficult, a more suitable location was sought early on. Goldendale seemed to meet the criteria and they were able to reach an agreement with the city officials about the construction and provision of the observatory, whereby they themselves would contribute the telescope. The specific location was determined in 1968 and in 1970 the telescope was ready after 6 years of construction. Despite the material cost of $ 3,000, the finished telescope was worth $ 75,000. In 1971 the Goldendale Observatory Corporation was founded to take care of the financing of the building. The foundation stone was laid in May 1973, and the inauguration was celebrated in October of the same year. The astronomical operation was run on a voluntary basis in the first few years and was open to the public once a week. The financial situation has been critical all these years, so that in 1978 plans to close it emerged. For February 26, 1979, however, a solar eclipse was predicted, the umbra of which should move over the area in the afternoon. For this celestial event, the observatory was the observation site with the best overall site conditions, the best weather prospects and the best equipment. These circumstances led to the fact that the National Astronomical League moved its headquarters to Goldendale for the observation period and a total of 17,000 people traveled there. The television station NBC prepared its cameras on the telescope for a live broadcast of the solar eclipse. After this media event, there was enough attention to get rid of the precarious financial situation. Washington State took over the property in late 1980 and rededicated it to Goldendale Observatory State Park in 1981.

The International Dark-Sky Association awarded Goldendale Observatory State Park a silver award in June 2010, while Clayton Lake State Park received gold and added both state parks to the list of International Dark Sky Parks .

Furnishing

Stephen R. Stout at the 24.5-inch Cassegrain telescope

The astronomical equipment of the observatory not only includes the fixed 24.5-inch Cassegrain telescope under a rotating dome, which is one of the largest telescopes open to the public. There is also a fixed 8-inch telescope from Celestron and 6 smaller mobile telescopes. A library and an amphitheater complete the offer. During the day, the state park also offers good views of Mount Adams , Mount Hood, and the Klickitat Valley.

Web links

Commons : Goldendale Observatory State Park  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ SE1979Feb26T , eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov
  2. ^ History of Goldendale Observatory ( Memento April 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) , friendsofgosp
  3. ^ Goldendale Observatory State Park Named a Silver-Tier IDA Dark Sky Park ( Memento from July 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) , International Dark-Sky Association, May 31, 2013 (pdf, darksky.org);
    Greg Scheiderer: Goldendale Observatory State Park recognized for dark sky preservation efforts ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: Seattle Astronomy Examiner , July 24, 2010.
  4. ↑ Goldendale Observatory State Park Application for Designation by IDA as an International Dark Sky Park ( Memento from August 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) , darksky.org (pdf)
  5. ↑ IDS Parks 2010 ( memento of July 6, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) , darksky.org (pdf)
  6. ^ Marge Mueller, Ted Mueller: Washington State Parks. A Complete Recreation Guide The Mountaineers Books, 2004, ISBN 0898868939 .
  7. ^ Barbara Sinotte, Peggy DeLay: Oregon & Washington. A Guide to the State & National Parks Hunter Pub Inc, 1996, ISBN 1556507364 .