It all began with Big Blue…
The Carlton Observatory Project started in 2017 as an abstract aspiration, hatched by a desire to place a valuable scientific asset in our rural Yamhill county as a resource to cultivate broad community connections and encourage creative scientific exploration. As we rolled out our most impressive assets, our telescopes and the engaged minds behind them, we quickly discovered how eager our local (and even regional!) community is to form a like-minded curiosity with the night sky and all the information it holds.
The Carlton Observatory is a 501c3 organization located on the campus of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Our goal is to create a unique community resource featuring interactive experiences including an observatory and planetarium inside a multi-use facility. The space will encourage and inspire students, parents, educators, and visitors to learn, celebrate, and experience science in a whole new way. As our mission states, we are: Fostering an engaged, imaginative and scientifically literate community.
During the last few years, we have been enthusiastically and financially supported at numerous “star parties” that we have hosted in and around Yamhill County. These events have built awareness, raised funds, and provided outreach to the community in support of our mission. Carlton Observatory currently has 5 high-quality telescopes that have been donated to the project, including the historical Linfield Telescope.
A 45-seat planetarium was donated to CO from The Webb School in Claremont California. The star projector is a $150,000.00 GOTO planetarium. There are peripheral projectors, a 16’ tall, 20’ diameter dome, a sound system, and seating for 45 people. Once it is installed and completed inside the science center building, it will be an invaluable resource for both educators and the community as it can be utilized year-round, especially when the sky is overcast. It has the potential for great local impact in that it will draw visitors to the community with entertaining and educational star shows.
Inside the new science center will be a great hall with multiple exhibits and a “Wonder Room” for classes and lectures. A Maker’s Lab where telescopes and other scientific instruments can be designed, built, and repaired will have a glass wall so onlookers can see what we are up to.
There will be outdoor plazas where exhibits and interpretive signs will delight and inspire visitors even when the CO is closed. One of the highlights of the plan includes a 3000 sq ft outdoor star plaza where we will host star parties, guest lectures, dinners, and wedding receptions.
There are numerous ways you can support this endeavor… we are selling “stars” (instead of bricks). You can buy our merchandise in the EASM gift shop. You can volunteer or even consider joining the board. You can host a star party or wine dinner and we will bring the telescopes to you. Or you can simply share this project with your friends and family. Thanks for all you do, and remember…
Keep Looking Up!!!