Observatory

A roof-top home for stargazing & amateur astronomy

The Planetarium’s roof-top observatory is home to one of the largest public telescopes in Florida — a 24” Ritchey-Chretien reflector. Volunteers assist the Planetarium staff members in the operation of the observatory every weekend, offering the residents of Brevard County amazing views of the heavens.

Special observing nights are co-sponsored by the Brevard Astronomical Society with members bringing out a variety of telescopes for the viewing public.  

Celestial targets usually include the Moon and planets. On moonless nights the telescope is trained on fainter nebulas, star clusters and galaxies.

Strapped to the side of the main telescope is a 6” diameter refracting telescope. This fine instrument is equipped with a sensitive video camera (in place of an eyepiece), which captures images for display on a computer monitor. The 6” telescope is also equipped with a Hydrogen-alpha filter for spectacular daytime viewing of sunspots and solar prominences.

Both telescopes are available to student groups (by appointment), and the observatory is open to the general public on Friday and Saturday evenings from dusk until 10 PM (weather permitting).