The
desert’s night sky has been a focus for Indigenous Folklore, Greek
Mythology, and just good nighttime entertainment for people
throughout human history. It only takes one visit to Ocotillo and
the Imperial Valley Desert Museum during one of its Stargazing
nights to appreciate how impressive the desert nighttime sky can be.
Children and adults all stare with wonder into the universe; they may
be listening to cultural stories of old, imagining pictures made by
stars, or listening to astronomy science, but it is always a relaxing
and enjoyable experience. The desert’s nighttime sky is the window
through which anyone can view the universe.
Recently, through the diligent efforts of Executive Director, Dr. David Breeckner, the Imperial Valley Desert Museum has received the donation of a 30 inch Dobsonian telescope. This telescope is huge, standing at nearly 10 ft in height! Amateur astronomers are usually very satisfied with the results of six to ten inch telescopes. A 30 inch mirror telescope is simply incredible and could take astronomy nights at the museum to a new level.
A
Dobsonian telescope is an altazimuth-mounted Newtonian telescope
popularized by John Dobson in 1965. The design is optimized for
observing faint, deep-sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies.
Dobson built telescopes through his hobby of instructional “sidewalk
astronomy.” He set up his telescopes on sidewalks in San Francisco
for any passerby to view for free. He took satisfaction in
connecting people caught up in their busy urban lives to wonders of
the universe. He is credited with being the originator and promoter
of the design of large Dobsonian telescopes that revolutionized
telescopes available to the amateur astronomer.
What
does IVDM have planned with this new telescope? Dr. Breeckner is
researching possible grants and additional donations that could
assist in building a structure for housing this telescope at the
museum, providing it a forever home where Dobson's tradition of
“sidewalk astronomy” can be continued.
Any
ideas for this next step would be appreciated. For any interested
parties, remember that the Imperial Valley Desert Museum is owned
and operated by the Imperial Valley Desert Museum Society, Inc. which
is a non-profit 501(C)(3) qualified corporation that can provide tax
credits and related tax benefits to donors.
