CWU Observatory

CWU Observatory sits atop the Science II building on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, run by the university's Physics Department.

About CWU Observatory

CWU Observatory is a research-grade facility that stands out among Washington state institutions for having serious astronomical equipment directly on campus. It centres on the ACE 0.6-metre telescope, installed in 2017 on a vibrationally isolated tower designed to keep observations steady despite the building beneath it.

History

The observatory's ACE telescope was installed in 2017, upgrading the university's astronomical capabilities and giving Central Washington University a genuinely research-capable instrument rather than a purely instructional one.

Telescopes & research

The 0.6-metre ACE telescope supports both coursework and original research, with students in advanced physics classes (PHYS 495) using it for research projects and undergraduates in introductory astronomy (PHYS 201) gaining hands-on observing experience. Research carried out with the telescope spans near-Earth asteroids, Kuiper Belt objects, comets, stars, and planets.

Location & getting there

The observatory is located in Ellensburg, in central Washington state, on the Central Washington University campus, accessible from the roof of the Science II building.

Visiting CWU Observatory

The CWU Astronomy Club hosts one to two star parties a month that are open to the public, offering a rare chance to look through a genuine 0.6-metre research telescope. Check the university's astronomy or physics department pages for the current schedule before visiting.

See your named star from here

With a research-grade 0.6-metre telescope and a student astronomy club actively running public nights, CWU Observatory is well equipped to help find a specific point in the sky. If you've named a star, bring its coordinates to a star party here, or browse the star catalogue to find one to name.