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DAS members prepare for an Open House
at Chamberlin Observatory
Photo by John Flemming |
 re
you trying to decide
which of the many
telescopes on the
market is right for
you? Are you
wondering what's the
difference between a
"Dobsonian"
telescope and a
refractor? Or ...
what the heck is a
Schmidt-Cassegrain
telescope, anyway?
We have discovered
that one of the best
ways to get the
answers to those
questions is to look
through and try out
a number of
different scopes.
Or
... are you a
student who needs
information for an
assignment; a parent
who has a child with
an interest in
astronomy; a teacher
who wants to enrich
her student's
science classes; a
person who wants to
find out how to get
started as an
amateur astronomer
.. or who just wants
to spend an
interesting evening
exploring something
new?
You're in luck!
Almost every month,
starting at dusk, on the
Saturday nearest the
first quarter moon,
the DAS hosts an
Open House at the
University of
Denver's historic
Chamberlin
Observatory.
Guests can view the
heavens through the
observatory's famous
20-inch aperture
Alvan
Clark-Saegmuller
refractor by
registering on the
main floor of the
observatory and
paying a $1
per-person fee.
An
added bonus on Open
House nights is
that Denver
Astronomical Society
members set up their
telescopes on the
observatory grounds
(Observatory Park)
to share with anyone
and everyone
interested in taking
a look at the
wonders of the
universe -- stars,
planets, galaxies,
nebulae, star
clusters and more!
(There is no charge
for viewing through
DAS member
telescopes.)
Members are happy to
answer any and all
questions about
astronomy and their telescopes so
you can start to
explore the heavens
on your own or learn
which type of scope
might be right for
you and your
interests.
If
you already have a
scope, but can't
quite figure out how
it works, not to
worry: bring it to
the Open House and
someone will help
you.
Dates
for this year's Open
Houses are provided
in the list on the
right side of this
page.
The
start time for Open
Houses varies with
changes in the
seasons. In the
Winter, plan to be
there by 6:00pm.
In the Spring and
Fall, 6:30 or 7:00pm
is about right. In
the Summer months,
8:00pm. If you
arrive early, you
can watch DAS
members set up their
telescopes and other
equipment for the
night's observing.
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