View the Night Skies at CMU's Historic Morrison Observatory |
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Central Missouri residents are once again invited to view the universe at any of several guided sessions during March and April at the historic Morrison Observatory operated by Central Methodist University in Fayette.
All sessions are free and open to the general public. The Morrison Observatory will be open from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the following Thursdays: March 14, 21, 28, and April 4, 11, 18 and 25.
Central Methodist University Professors Larry Peery and Kendal Clark, along with members of the Central Missouri Astronomical Association and CMU students, will conduct the viewing sessions, provide tours and comment on historical highlights of the facility. Hands-on science activities also will be provided in the Observatory classroom. Visitors will be able to use the telescopes for viewing, weather permitting.
The planet Venus is in western skies. The planet Jupiter will be in the western sky during these sessions and is spectacular through a telescope. The moon will be visible in the evening sky on March 14 and 21 and April 18 and 25. Visitors will also be able to view selected star clusters, double stars and nebula. The Orion nebula is a region where stars are forming and is particularly impressive through a telescope.
The observatory is located on Park Road in Fayette across from the Fayette City Park and swimming pool. It can be reached by taking Besgrove Street west from the intersection of Highways 5 and 240 in Fayette. Go approximately two blocks to Park Road and turn left, and the observatory is on the right a short distance from the turn. For additional information about the observatory, viewing sessions or directions, contact Dr. Larry Peery, director of the observatory, by (preferably) e-mail at lpeery@centralmethodist.edu or by phone at 660-248-6371.
The Morrison Observatory, which is celebrating its 138th anniversary this year, features a 12-inch Clark refractor and a 10-inch reflecting telescope. The observatory was originally located in Glasgow but was acquired by Central Methodist in 1927 and moved to its current location in Fayette in 1935.
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