Rancho Mirage Observatory
New.
World-class.
Educational.
Sea West constructed a world-class observatory for the City of Rancho Mirage, California to assist in their mission of providing astronomy education to all.
About the observatory
In 2018, the Rancho Mirage Library expanded their campus with a research-level observatory that further solidified their mission of easily accessible educational tools to their community. Funded by the City of Rancho Mirage the observatory was constructed to offer astronomy education programs available for all ages and levels of experience.
Dome
22’-6″ Ash-Dome
Telescope
PlaneWave CDK700
Camera
Apogee 16803
Visual Observing
Astrophotography
Wheelchair Accessible
Robotic Observatory
Software Automation
Project Scope
Sea West was awarded the construction contract for the Rancho Mirage Observatory. The overall goal of the project was to provide a world-class observatory for the community to utilize free of charge for stargazing events and educational programs. Located on the Rancho Mirage Library campus, the observatory incorporates the latest in software technology to control the observatory remotely. Observatory automation components control the rotating domes and an integrated weather station protects the telescope equipment by continuously monitoring clouds, wind speeds, and precipitation. This observatory is a prime example of a municipality promoting outreach and education through a publicly accessible science center.
PARTNERS
Sea West partnered with Observatory Systems who performed the observatory automation and control room design. Additionally, Charlie Martin of Narkweather Architects Inc. supported the project by providing a beautifully designed observatory layout assisted in a team coordination role.
Video Provided by: Observatory Projection Systems
Thank you to our team of vendors and partners!
Observatory Automation Solutions
Narkweather Architects Inc.