The Killarney Provincial Park Observatory is a small observatory located in Killarney Provincial Park near the George Lake Campground (near Killarney, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

). Opened on July 17, 2010 it is the first public observatory running in any Ontario Provincial Park (the Algonquin Radio Observatory

Algonquin Radio Observatory

The Algonquin Radio Observatory is a radio telescope research facility located in the Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. The site's primary instrument is a major 46 m parabolic-dish radio antenna. This instrument is historically famous for taking part in the first successful very...

, stationed in Algonquin Provincial Park

Algonquin Provincial Park

Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased...

 is privately operated).

The Killarney Provincial Park Observatory utilizes a SkyShed GPOD XL3 with two doors and houses a Meade 10" LX5 telescope. The dome is made completely from Re-Cycled plastic (Re-HDPE) and the telescope sits on a steel peer. The observatory and telescope were donated by the Waters family to celebrate 25 consecutive years of astronomy lectures by Bruce Waters to over 5,000 park visitors. The telescope and observatory sit on a deck with two ramps (to ease the movement of people) donated by the Friends of Killarney Park. On January 29, 2011 Bill and the Gardner family, donated and installed a top quality Losmandy G11 mount with Gemini GoTo. This generous donation has greatly augmented the capability of the system; especially making it easier for first time observers to use the facility.

While the Observatory

Observatory

An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...

 will be used for special large audience presentations (with upwards of 200 people) and by the Natural Heritage Education

Natural Heritage Education

Natural Heritage Education is an educational program offered by Ontario Parks in some provincial parks in Ontario, Canada. It is designed to provide education focusing on the natural and cultural heritage of the park its surrounding area...

 (NHE) park interpreters, the real beauty of the facility is that it has been optimized for self serve use. This allows anyone visiting the park free access to a high quality amateur observatory and, in this regard, the Killarney Provincial Park Observatory may be the first free, public, self use facility in North America. At this time, it is best to call the park ahead of time to enquire about its use.

What the Observatory Offers

The Killarney Provincial Park Observatory has most of the equipment that an amateur astronomer would want to use. The list below will be useful in planning a trip to the facility. Please note that, while the primary instrument is a Meade LX 5 series telescope, the Losmandy G11 mount with Gemini GoTo unit has been added in place of the original fork mount.

Telescope Telescope A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...  Equipment 10 inch Meade Meade Meade Instruments Corporation is a multinational company headquartered in Irvine, California, that manufactures, imports, and distributes telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes, CCD cameras and telescope accessories for the consumer market. It is the world's largest manufacturer of...  Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope optical tube Losmandy G-11 Gemini Mount Telrad finder Finder Scope Spare Field Tripod Tripod A tripod is a portable three-legged frame, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The word comes from the Greek tripous, meaning "three feet". A tripod provides stability against downward forces, horizontal forces and moments about the...  (not normally needed as the telescope sits on a steel pier) Eyepiece Eyepiece An eyepiece, or ocular lens, is a type of lens that is attached to a variety of optical devices such as telescopes and microscopes. It is so named because it is usually the lens that is closest to the eye when someone looks through the device. The objective lens or mirror collects light and brings... s and Filters 32 mm, 24mm, 19mm Televue Televue Tele Vue Optics is a Chester, New York-based astronomical optics company known primarily for its premium brand of speciality eyepieces and apochromatic refractor telescopes...  Radian, 2x barlow Moon Moon The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...  Filter Filter - Chemistry, engineering and materials :In chemistry, engineering, or household usage, a device to separate mixtures. See:* Filter , critical components of both freshwater and marine aquaria... Eyepiece Carrying Case with 2” base and diagonal Diagonal A diagonal is a line joining two nonconsecutive vertices of a polygon or polyhedron. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word "diagonal" derives from the Greek διαγώνιος , from dia- and gonia ; it was used by both Strabo and Euclid to refer to a line connecting two vertices of a... 2” to 1 1/4” adapter Star Charts and Observing Guides Norton's Star Atlas Norton's Star Atlas Norton's Star Atlas is a set of 16 celestial charts, first published in 1910 and currently in its 20th edition under the editorship of Ian Ridpath. The Star Atlas covers the entire northern and southern sky, with accompanying reference information for amateur astronomers... Celestial Sampler: 60 Small-Scope Tours for Starlit Nights

Star Charts and Observing Guides (continued) Sky and Telescope’s Pocket Atlas Sky Atlas 2000 Deluxe Edition Night Watch Other Items AC inverter (for 12 volt battery use) DC Connection (for 120 Volt use - when available) Portable battery pack (available from Park Office) Dew Shield Corrector Cover Stool Step Ladder Bug spray (should never be used near the telescope for the chemicals could damage the corrector plate (glass at the front) Observatory Log Book - please record all observations

Useful Links

	Link to Killarney Provincial Park Observatory Clear Sky Clock
	Link to the Killarney Provincial Park page at the Ontario Parks website
	Link to Friends of Killarney Park Website
	Link to Wikipedia entry for Killarney, Ontario Killarney, Ontario Killarney is a municipality located on the northern shore of Georgian Bay in the Sudbury District of Ontario. It is also the name of the largest community within the municipality...