During the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 here in the Tri-Cities and the surrounding area, we will be in a partial eclipse. This means that only a portion of the sun will be blocked by the moon. It also means that WE CANNOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE ECLIPSE WITHOUT A FILTER FOR OUR EYES AND FOR THE CAMERA. Even if the sun is 98% covered by the moon it is still too bright to look at without a filter for your eyes or your camera.
The Moore Observatory is located on the Pasco campus. Our main telescope is a 16-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly on a Paramount ME German equatorial mount. The telescope is housed in a six-meter Ash Dome on top of a 25-foot by 40-foot observatory building.
CBC lies at 46 degrees 15' 8.4" latitude and west longitude at 119 degrees 07' 36.5", at an altitude of 407 feet. Our climate is dry and warm in the summer, dry and temperate in the spring and fall, and mostly dry but often foggy in the winter months. We have endless nights of clear skies.
The observatory was developed through the generous donation of the late Robert (Bob) Moore and his late wife, Elisabeth.
Our main focus is the use of the observatory as a teaching aid for our astronomy curriculum. We allow use of the observatory for elementary, middle, and high school programs, as well as for student and other clubs interested in astronomy.
Astronomy Courses
For information about the Astronomy program at CBC, visit our Astronomy page.
Planetarium
The Bechtel National Planetarium is now open at CBC. For more information, visit our Planetarium page.
Astronomy Links
Tri-City Astronomy Club
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
Events
The observatory is open to the general public on Friday nights depending on the weather, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. If it is cloudy, raining, or there is extreme winds then the Observatory will not open that night. On Friday there isn't anyone in the office and you can call Mike Brady at 509-420-3488.
The observatory closes Thanksgiving week for the winter and reopens in the spring on the first Friday of March. The winter months are too cloudy and cold for public viewing at the observatory.
Private events can be held at the observatory by appointment. See contact information below to schedule an appointment.
Astronomy Photo of the Month
The May 2017 photo of the month is M101, also known as the Pinwheel galaxy. The Pinwheel galaxy is located in the constellation Ursa Major and is 21 million light years from earth. Photo by Mike Brady.
And by the way... Keep looking up, the stars are there for you.