Mounds Observatory

Mounds Observatory, today better known as the ACT Observatory, is a public astronomy site about 30 miles south of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, run by a club whose roots go back nearly a century.

About Mounds Observatory

The observatory is owned and operated by the Astronomy Club of Tulsa (ACT), a non-profit founded in 1937. It was built in 1993 in the town of Mounds with a grant from the Ronald McDonald House, and was known as Mounds/RMCC Observatory before being renamed the ACT Observatory in 2010.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's main instrument is a Meade 14-inch RCX400 Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, the same optical design used in the Hubble Space Telescope. The club is affiliated with the Astronomical League and NASA's Night Sky Network, connecting its members and visitors to a wider community of amateur astronomers.

Location & getting there

The site sits in the town of Mounds, Oklahoma, roughly 30 miles (48 km) south of downtown Tulsa, in the North America region of the United States.

Visiting Mounds Observatory

The Astronomy Club of Tulsa holds two monthly star parties at the observatory, one open to the public and one for members only. Check the club's website for the current schedule before making the trip.

See your named star from here

A Meade Ritchey-Chrétien like the one at the ACT Observatory is exactly the kind of instrument that can be aimed at a named star's coordinates. Name a star and bring its right ascension and declination from the catalogue to a Tulsa star party to try to spot it.