Observatory Park is out of this world!
At Observatory Park you can see the Milky Way as you've never seen it before.
By Stacy Turner
If you’ve never been to Observatory Park, the Geauga Park District’s unique spot in rural Montville, then you’re in for a treat of interstellar proportions.
While the interpretive stations and wide, flat trails certainly make this park a nice setting to experience nature during the day, what happens there at night is what makes it truly special.
The rural setting was specifically chosen because it was one of the few areas in northeast Ohio not yet affected by light pollution. This fact helped Observatory Park earn the designation from the International Dark-Sky Association (IDSA) as one of only 27 dark sky parks in the U.S. and only 37 in the world. The IDSA educates communities on the harmful effects of light pollution on people, animals and ecosystems around the world. Parks are rated based on nighttime sky quality as measured by light pollution meters and satellite imagery. Which is a very technical way to tell you that the night sky at the park is pitch black, giving amateur and experienced astronomers alike, the perfect place to view celestial sights.
The park features an observatory and science center which are open the second and fourth Fridays and Saturdays of each month from 6 pm–11 pm to give you the chance to take in the wonders of the sky using the park’s telescopes. The park is also open every other Sunday afternoon with a planetarium presentation that highlights what visitors can see that week in the night sky at home. And if weather permits, Sunday afternoon visitors get the chance to view the sun using safe, solar-viewing equipment, as well.
“Last night my family attended the presentation at the observatory,” visitor Mathew Spangler explained. “My second grade daughter loves to read and learn about space, so we went mostly for her enjoyment. What I didn't expect is how much I learned and enjoyed that evening,” he marveled. “Astro-naturalist Chris Mentrek's passion and enthusiasm was infectious, his presentation was informative and inviting, and the computer display was absolutely incredible," Spangler concluded.
If you visit the park on any given day of the year, you can picnic and hike, just like you would at any other park. At Observatory Park, you’ll have access to the mile-long Planetary Trail, which features interactive stations that represent each planet in our solar system. You’ll also see the Weather Trail, with interactive areas showing a variety of ways to study the weather. The trails meander through life-sized corner stones that represent the footprint of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which some believe to have been built to mimic the placement of the stars in the constellation Orion’s belt. Nearby, you’ll see earthen mounds and henge stones, which represent how ancient people observed and studied astronomical phenomena.
Observatory Park is located at 10610 Clay Street in Montville Township in Geauga County. It is open daily from 6 am–1 am throughout the summer, and until 11 pm after Labor Day.
For more information, visit www.geaugaparkdistrict.org.
If you’ve never been to Observatory Park, the Geauga Park District’s unique spot in rural Montville, then you’re in for a treat of interstellar proportions.
While the interpretive stations and wide, flat trails certainly make this park a nice setting to experience nature during the day, what happens there at night is what makes it truly special.
The rural setting was specifically chosen because it was one of the few areas in northeast Ohio not yet affected by light pollution. This fact helped Observatory Park earn the designation from the International Dark-Sky Association (IDSA) as one of only 27 dark sky parks in the U.S. and only 37 in the world. The IDSA educates communities on the harmful effects of light pollution on people, animals and ecosystems around the world. Parks are rated based on nighttime sky quality as measured by light pollution meters and satellite imagery. Which is a very technical way to tell you that the night sky at the park is pitch black, giving amateur and experienced astronomers alike, the perfect place to view celestial sights.
The park features an observatory and science center which are open the second and fourth Fridays and Saturdays of each month from 6 pm–11 pm to give you the chance to take in the wonders of the sky using the park’s telescopes. The park is also open every other Sunday afternoon with a planetarium presentation that highlights what visitors can see that week in the night sky at home. And if weather permits, Sunday afternoon visitors get the chance to view the sun using safe, solar-viewing equipment, as well.
“Last night my family attended the presentation at the observatory,” visitor Mathew Spangler explained. “My second grade daughter loves to read and learn about space, so we went mostly for her enjoyment. What I didn't expect is how much I learned and enjoyed that evening,” he marveled. “Astro-naturalist Chris Mentrek's passion and enthusiasm was infectious, his presentation was informative and inviting, and the computer display was absolutely incredible," Spangler concluded.
If you visit the park on any given day of the year, you can picnic and hike, just like you would at any other park. At Observatory Park, you’ll have access to the mile-long Planetary Trail, which features interactive stations that represent each planet in our solar system. You’ll also see the Weather Trail, with interactive areas showing a variety of ways to study the weather. The trails meander through life-sized corner stones that represent the footprint of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which some believe to have been built to mimic the placement of the stars in the constellation Orion’s belt. Nearby, you’ll see earthen mounds and henge stones, which represent how ancient people observed and studied astronomical phenomena.
Observatory Park is located at 10610 Clay Street in Montville Township in Geauga County. It is open daily from 6 am–1 am throughout the summer, and until 11 pm after Labor Day.
For more information, visit www.geaugaparkdistrict.org.