College of the Desert
Mary Reagan Observatory
Collaborative.
Research-based.
World-class.
Sea West partnered with Observatory Systems to design and build the College of the Desert – Mary Reagan Observatory.
About the observatory
The College of the Desert – Mary Reagan Observatory is located in Thermal California on the Mecca/Thermal campus. It was constructed in 2017 to provide research opportunities for students and faculty. With its remotely accessible robotic telescope, the Mary Reagan Observatory welcomes collaboration with student researchers both locally and internationally. Both telescopes were generously donated by a local resident, Ivoj Kudrnac who had a strong passion for astronomy.
Telescope
PlaneWave Instruments PW1000
Dome
16′ Astro Haven
Camera
FLI 16803
Research
Public Outreach
Robotic Observatory
Observatory Automation
Project Scope
The observatory was a design build collaboration between Sea West and Observatory Systems. The overall goal of the project was to provide a world-class observatory for the students and community to gain hands-on experience and conduct research without having any limitations from their equipment. Phase 1 was completed in June 2017 and included the installation of the platform, 16’ Astro Haven dome, PlaneWave CDK17 telescope, and site infrastructure. Completed in April 2018, phase 2 included installation of the PlaneWave Instruments 1-meter telescope donated by Ivoj Kudrnac.
PARTNERS
Sea West, Observatory Systems, PlaneWave Instruments, and Astro Haven partnered to accomplish this milestone project.
