CINCINNATI

I'm a rank amateur stargazer . . . but I love it and I'm in the right place to do it.  Cincinnati claims to be the Birthplace of American Astronomy.  At the local observatory, stands the oldest telescope in the country used regularly by the public.

The Cincinnati Observatory is a national historic landmark.  It was dubbed "The Lighthouse of the Sky".   President John Quincy Adams presided over the dedication of the site in 1843.  It was here that he gave his last public speech.  The original location was atop Mt. Ida, which, after the dedication, had its name changed to Mt. Adams.

In 1873, the observatory was moved to Mt. Lookout to get away from the smog of the city center.  In 1904, a second, larger telescope was put into operation.  In 1979, the facility became part of the University of Cincinnati Physics department.  

The beautiful observatory is open for guided tours several days a week and the public can use the telescopes on selected evenings.  For full information about the Landmark, log into www.cincinnatiobservatory.org.

It is a great asset of the City of Cincinnati and a wonderful way to spend an evening.