Eastern Iowa Observatory opens eyes to the heavens

Is that the North Star? The Milky Way? Saturn?

Could be. Because, if Iowa is truly heaven as depicted in the movie, “Field of Dreams,” then one of the most heavenly places to gaze at the heavens is the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center at Palisades-Dows Preserve southwest of Mount Vernon at 1365 Ivanhoe Rd.

For here - through no fewer than four telescopes - on a clear night you can see forever, or at least millions of miles, into the heavens.

“You just watch the kids, once they've had their first look,” says Bunnie Tomes, fundraiser for the Cedar Amateur Astronomers which operates the observatory. “They may say ‘I only came out because my parents told me to.' They see Saturn. ‘Oh, my gosh.' They go back in line.”

Since opening in 1987, this observatory has gradually become a classroom to the stars. While it hosts a public viewing night once a month, various other groups, such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, keep it busy. Astronomy students from the University of Iowa, Kirkwood Community College, Cornell College and area high schools also take regular field trips to the observatory.

“I think the observatory gives our Girl Scouts a real hands-on feeling, to see the planets they've only heard about or seen pictures of,” says Jennifer Fisher, leadership experience manager for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. And the girls apparently agree - all five visits this year have had the maximum 60 Girl Scouts and 20 adults participate.

“We are so fortunate to have so many great volunteers at the Eastern Iowa Observatory,” Fisher adds.

Until recently, UI students would gather almost nightly on the roof of Van Allen Hall on campus to look through telescopes in a Clear Sky Patrol program that was open to the public. But that program has been discontinued until at least this fall.

“The light pollution in Iowa City got to the point where it didn't work,” says Steven Spangler, a professor of physics and astronomy. “It was hard to see anything but the brightest stars.”

It's only natural that UI astronomy students are bused to what he calls “a fantastic facility,” since two large telescopes were donated by the university - the 24-inch Boller & Chivens installed three years ago and the 1970s-era Celestron with a 16-inch mirror.

The observatory also features a garage-like structure with a roll-off roof with a Meade LX200 Schmidt with a 16-inch mirror and a refracting telescope with a 6-inch lens. And, at various times, some of the 140 members may set up their own telescopes on the grounds.

Groups interested in a night at the observatory can visit the website - www.cedar-astronomers.org - to fill out the registration. The cost is $2 per person for a minimum of 15 people that must include at least one adult per 10 children. A $30 deposit is required before the visit.

Annual memberships are $20 for individuals and $25 for families, with supporting members at $40 and benefactors at $100. The members, Tomes says, are very active in the organization with at least four required each time a group visits.

“We are so lucky to have the guest speakers and the guys, and with the reputation of the University of Iowa, we get good crowds,” Tomes says.

“If we have a clear night, the programs goes for a half-hour or 45 minutes,” she adds, “but the guys will stay around, sometimes until 2 in the morning.”