 The CAA observatory was dedicated July 21, 2001 and is located at Medina County's Letha House Park, 10311 Spencer Lake Road, due east of Spencer, Ohio. Many years of effort went into making the dream of a permanent club observatory a reality. It houses three club-owned, member-built telescopes: a 10-inch Cassegrain, 12-inch Newtonian (Dobson-type portable), and a 16-inch Newtonian which are available for member use (see rules below). A solar telescope is being installed. The observatory is operated in cooperation with the Medina County Park District (which owns the property). Trained park personnel will also employ the observatory in future public educational programming.
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LATITUDE: 41.06° 43' N
LONGITUDE: 82.03° 39.5' W
ELEVATION: 1,005 ft.
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The Letha House programs will have a different look this year. Instead of four quarterly talks, we will do two talks and four observatory open houses with no talks. See below for the schedule:
Feb. 2 -- "The Great Mars Hoax" at Wolf Creek Environmental Education Center, 8:00 PM.
Letha Observatory Open House (no talk) the second Saturday of the month from May through August. Observatory Open House hours 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM:
May 10
June 14
July 12
August 9
Nov. 15 -- "Jupiter the King of the Planets" at Wolf Creek Environmental Education Center, 8:00 PM.
The observatory opens at dusk, weather conditions permitting. These programs are for individuals ages ten to adult. The programs are held rain or shine though cloudy skies will prevent use of the telescopes. Registration is required. There is no fee to attend.
To register for these programs, call the park office at (330) 722-9364, (330) 225-7100 ext. 9364, or (330) 336-6657 ext 9364.
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HOW TO GET THERE:
From the North or South:
- Take I-71 to the Brunswick exit (Exit 226 / State Route 303).
- At the end of the ramp, turn West onto Rt. 303.
- Take Rt. 303 West to Rt. 83. Turn left onto Rt. 83 (South).
- Follow Rt. 83 past Rt. 18 to Spencer Lake Road.
- Turn right onto Spencer Lake Road (West).
- Take Spencer Lake Road past Richman Road. The observatory will appear shortly on the right at the top of a rise in the road. It is in Letha House Park.
From the East:
- Take your best route to Rt. 83. Turn onto Rt. 83.
- Follow Rt. 83 to Spencer Lake Road (see map for directions).
- Turn onto Spencer Lake Road (West).
- Take Spencer Lake Road past Richman Road. The observatory will appear shortly on the right at the top of a rise in the road. It is in Letha House Park.
For an Adobe Acrobat printable map sheet with instructions, click here.
CAA Observatory Rules
- Must be Current Member of CAA to have observatory privileges.
- All members and guests shall adhere to the rules of the CAA and the Medina County Park.
- Standing Rules of the Medina County Park shall supersede any pertinent CAA rules.
- CAA Members having access to use the observatory will be certified (trained on the observatory scopes and operation of equipment, i.e., and roof roll off mechanism). They will be given the combination to the lock on observatory entrance. They will need to sign a document covering liability and equipment damage.
- Call Park Office during business hours or sheriff's office after hours to let them know you will be down there. Medina County Park District: (330) 722-9364
- Park in designated areas only. Driving on grass is not permitted during wet conditions.
- All persons are to sign in upon arrival at the observatory. A sign-up sheet will be located in the observatory. If pole barn is used, one person must sign in on the clipboard located in the pole barn and indicate number of people on site. Settings on the electric heater in the building are not to be changed.
- Observatory is for club equipment; no storage of personal equipment allowed.
- Public Programs take precedence over private use of Observatory.
- Visual use of telescope a group activity, (there for everyone's use). Person limited to one scope at a time unless operating alone. Visual use has priority over photography.
- Special event photography is by reservation only. Contact the Observatory Director and/or Club President for requested date and time.
- You are responsible for the condition of equipment you use during your use of observatory.
- The site should be left in same or better condition than when you arrived. Return items to their proper locations; pick up litter and refuse.
- In case of emergency call Park Ranger at (330) 571-3759, or Sheriff at (330) 725-6631, and Observatory Director and/or Club President.
Misuse of Park/Observatory Property
- Breaking of Observatory use rules, Medina Park Rules, or damage to grass areas (car ruts), will result in loss of site privileges.
- Continued breaking of rules can result in revoking of club membership at discretion of CAA Board of Directors.
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