Astrophysical Observatory of the College of Staten Island

On the Willowbrook Campus of the College of Staten Island in New York, an astrophysical observatory has trained students and tracked asteroids since the 1990s, holding official recognition from the International Astronomical Union.

About the observatory

Established in Fall 1996, the observatory occupies a 24-by-24-foot building with a rotating dome adjacent to the campus running track, in Richmond County, New York.

Telescopes & research

Its main instrument is a Meade LX200 ACP 16-inch (0.46-metre) F/10 computerised Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, with a database of more than 64,000 celestial objects. Additional portable 8-inch and 10-inch telescopes are used for training. The observatory is designated IAU 294, an official International Astronomical Union asteroid and comet research station, and its research programmes cover minor planet tracking, asteroid discovery, variable star photometry, solar system monitoring, comet observation, radio astronomy (including SETI), weather satellite imaging, supernova detection, and CCD imaging.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits on the College of Staten Island's Willowbrook Campus in Staten Island, New York, United States.

Visiting the observatory

The observatory hosts public open nights on a weekly basis during most of the year, alongside its role supporting the college's astronomy program and liberal arts students. Check the college's physics and astronomy department page before travelling for current schedules.

See your named star from here

An IAU-registered research station built for tracking asteroids by their exact coordinates is also well equipped to find the position of any named star. Name a star through Star Register and receive its right ascension and declination, recorded in the catalogue.