MARSTOWN
S   O   L   A   R        P   O   W   E   R   E   D
OBSERVATORY

New Windsor, Maryland (USA)


Iridescent Cloud
Iridescent afternoon cloud viewed through a window. This phenomenon is caused when a cloud, formed from small uniformly sized water droplets, diffracts sunlight resulting in an exhibition of vivid unusual colors. (Photo credit: MTO)

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).

Lunar Eclipse

February 20 2008 Total Lunar Eclipse
View of the 20 February 2008 total lunar eclipse taken at the onset of totality. The moon is flanked by the planet Saturn, to its lower left, and the star Regulus (in the constellation Leo) above. (3 second exposure at f5.1 with a Canon digital Rebel camera. Credit: MTO)

Feathered Friend

MTO Security
For the past several years the kestral (a.k.a. "hover hawk") shown above has appeared periodically to faithfully stand sentry over the observatory and help control the rodent population. (The image above was shot afocally in February through a plate glass window using a hand held Canon digital Rebel camera with standard lens looking through a Celestron 20x50 spotting scope.)

Click above image to open full sized image (740 KB) in a new window.

MTO would like to thank everyone who donated their time and materials, or helped in the construction of the observatory..
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Current Local Conditions at
Marstown Observatory:

US Naval Observatory Master Clock
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Clocks for good observing sites


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URL of this page: marstown.us.

Contact the MTO Director at marstown@gmail.com.

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