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Marstown Observatory is located in Carroll County, Maryland one mile from the unincorporated hamlet of Marston. The nearest town is historic New Windsor (established in 1797) located four miles northwest of the observatory. The closest major cities are Baltimore (30 miles ESE) and Washington, DC (50 miles S).
Colorado's Meyer-Womble Observatory on Mt. Evans |
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The Meyer-Womble Observatory is the highest professional observatory in all 50 states. Located at an elevation of 14,148' near the summit of 14,270' Mt. Evans in Colorado, it is more than 100 meters higher than Hawaii's famous Mauna Kea Observatory. During the Winter winds, with a sustained average speed of 90 mph and gusting to 135 mph, caused catastrophic damage to the dome, as seen in the image. The domeless telescope is protected by a blue tarp-wrapped box seen in the image. Patches of fresh July snow litter the ground. The observatory is operated by the University of Denver.
Click on image to open full resolution image (2.85 MB) in a new window.
(Photo credit: MTO)
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2012 Transit of Venus |
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The sun is viewed in the light of ionized hydrogen-alpha gas. Prominences around the lower right edge and details on the solar surface are visible when viewed at full resolution. Click image to view full sized image in a new window (1.2 MB).
Hand held Canon Rebel DSLR camera viewing through a Coronodo PST. [55 mm lens, f22, 1/60 sec. @ 17:12 MDT (23:12 UTC June 5]
MTO observed the transit from Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Click here for more images from the transit.
(Photo credit: MTO)
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May 20, 2012 Solar Eclipse |
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The central path of the May 20 annular solar eclipse began in China on the morning of Monday May 21, then crossed the International Date Line, and ended in the Western United states on the evening of Sunday May 20.
The MTO director happend to be in Denver, Colorado on business. He took along a camera, telephoto lens and solar filter, and a Coronodo PST Hydrogen-Alpha telescope. From the observing location just south of Denver, the moon partially blocked 80% of the sun. The image above was shot about two minutes prior to maximum eclipse
(Photo credit: MTO)
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Space Shuttle Discovery |
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Space Shuttle Discovery comes in for final approach to Dulles International Airport in Virginia riding atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) with its landing gear in the down position, as it is being escorted by a NASA T-38 trainer jet. This photograph was taken from the roof of the I-Max theatre at the Smitsonian Institution National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly.
In its career, Discovery made 39 trips into space -- more than any other spacecraft in existence. Discovery is now part of the permanent collection at the museum.
Click above image to open larger sized image (288 KB)
(Photo credit: MTO)
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MTO would like to thank everyone who donated their time and materials, or helped in the construction of the observatory..
Click on the following links to learn more about MTO:
Other links to the local astronomy scene:
Other special links:
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![[Current Moon Phase]](http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/phase.gif)