Oregon Observatory at Sunriver

04/17/2023

Be sure to take advantage of this chance to learn about how important Dark Skies are and how to accomplish less light pollution in your community!

Join us either online or in person tomorrow evening for a lecture on this important topic.

https://snco.org/events/2023-04-18/

04/15/2023

We're hiring! Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory is hiring summer camp counselors to lead our Summer Space Camps. For more information, check out our space camps here: https://snco.org/learn-explore/educational-programs/kids-camps-classes/summer-space-camp-2/

and check out the position here: https://snco.org/about-us/employment/

01/03/2023

Happy New Year! This month looks exciting with so much to see. We are hoping this new comet gets brighter in the sky at the end of the month. However, the planets will be prime focus for us during our night time programs! We are still open all winter long, so be sure to get your reservation and come visit us.
https://fb.watch/hQmIHQ9z4D/

12/23/2022

Thought I would share..... Enjoy the Holiday Season. :-)

You know Dasher and Dancer...and Spirit and Opportunity?

Looks like Santa wanted some rovers to pull his sleigh this year instead of reindeer! Have some fun this holiday season with NASA coloring pages: go.nasa.gov/3BSdFSx

And from our rover family to yours, happy holidays!

12/20/2022

One of the many missions discussed during our Mars programs. It has been an interesting 4 years.....

My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don’t worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will – but I’ll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me.

go.nasa.gov/3Mi4pKw

12/08/2022

It’s clear here😀

12/07/2022

The weather may allow us to see Mars disappear on Wednesday night. It will only be gone for about an hour! So look for the red planet to disappear after 6:35...... Hope the weather will allow for the show! We have some spots available for our 7pm program on Wednesday night. Don't worry, Mars will be back.......

Here's a timeline for the lunar occultation of Mars on Wednesday (Dec. 7).

11/23/2022

Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory join the Central Oregon community in mourning the passing of Bill Smith. A fellow nature lover, and advocate for all creatures. Many of us at the observatory feel a deep connection to Bill and the Old Mill family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Bill Smith, our company’s president and founder who had the visionary idea to turn two abandoned mills along the Deschutes River into the Old Mill District and the Hayden Homes Amphitheater, passed away Friday night in his sleep. He was 81 years old.
In the words of Matt and Marney, Bill’s children: “Billy was a wonderful man. He loved his cat and his people. He is known to many as the guy who developed the Old Mill District and perhaps that will be his legacy, but to us he was a beloved father and a wonderful husband. Building places, friendships, and communities was the pride of his life. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers as we mourn his passing and celebrate his life.”

11/14/2022

Our friends at the Sisters Astronomy Club are presenting this wonderful talk on Tuesday night at 7pm. It is available online! Hope you can check it out.
The world that we experience is an infinitesimal smudge produced by the vast forces that control the Universe. This talk traces the evolution of the Universe from the Big Bang to the Anthropocene to see how astrophysics forged our world. Gravity works with nuclear forces and electromagnetism in lifecycles of stars to make the elements of the periodic table. We living creatures trade on the electromagnetic forces between atoms and molecules that generate and absorb light. But, we have only our adaptability to survive the cosmic churning.
In 2016, Robin Stebbins retired from NASA where he was an astrophysicist, lab chief and project scientist. His research career has included targeting the Apollo 11 astronauts on the surface of the Moon with a laser, observing oscillations of the Sun from the South Pole, and advancing a scientific instrument 1.6 million miles long.
This talk will begin Sisters Astronomy Club’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 7:00 pm. Please message us for link.

11/07/2022

Tonight’s Lunar Eclipse? What will the weather allow for the last total lunar eclipse until 2025

Due to the weather forecast, we do not plan to open the observatory for viewing.

The last total lunar eclipse for three years will occur tonight, with the next occurring on March 14, 2025 — though we will continue to see partial and penumbral lunar eclipse during that time.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it will turn a reddish hue. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called “Blood Moons” because of this phenomenon.

The big question is where you are viewing from. Locally we could get a break in the clouds, but we will just need to wait and see.
You don’t need any special equipment to observe a lunar eclipse, although binoculars or a telescope will enhance the view and the red color. A dark environment away from bright lights makes for the best viewing conditions.

During Totality ― the stage of the eclipse where the Moon is entirely in Earth’s shadow ― will be visible across North and Central America and in Ecuador, Colombia, and western portions of Venezuela and Peru.

If the weather is bad, here is a link to NASA’s webcast
https://moon.nasa.gov/news/186/live-stream-the-november-8-lunar-eclipse/

Here are the times for us here in Sunriver
Begins: Tue, Nov 8, 2022 at 12:02 am
Maximum: Tue, Nov 8, 2022 at 2:59 am
Ends: Tue, Nov 8, 2022 at 5:56 am
Duration: 5 hours, 54 minutes

Watch the total lunar eclipse and learn about the science behind this celestial phenomenon.

11/03/2022

The last total lunar eclipse for three years will occur on November 8, 2022, with the next occurring on March 14, 2025 — though we will continue to see partial and penumbral lunar eclipses during that time. Here is what's happening this month....

10/31/2022

Happy Halloween from all of us over at the observatory! Here is one witch looking down on us tonight...... The Witch Head Nebula