Warner and Swasey Nassau Station

Warner and Swasey Nassau Station is an astronomical observatory in Montville Township, Geauga County, Ohio, once the dark-sky outstation of Case Western Reserve University's Warner and Swasey Observatory and now part of Observatory Park.

About Warner and Swasey Nassau Station

The station is named after Jason John Nassau, a Case astronomer, and was established in the 1950s to escape the growing light pollution around the university's original Cleveland site. It initially housed the 24-inch Burrell Schmidt telescope before that instrument was moved on to Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, after which the station was equipped with a 36-inch robotic telescope, one of the largest publicly accessible telescopes in Ohio.

History

In 2008 Nassau Station was sold to the Geauga Park District and folded into what is now Observatory Park. A restoration project was completed in August 2017, reopening the site's telescope and grounds to the public. The park has since been designated a dark sky park by the International Dark Sky Association, recognising the quality of its night skies.

Telescopes & research

The station's main instrument today is its 36-inch robotic telescope, used for public viewing nights and outreach rather than the frontier research the Burrell Schmidt once carried out here before its move to Kitt Peak.

Location & getting there

Nassau Station sits in rural Geauga County in northeast Ohio, within the Observatory Park grounds, a setting chosen specifically for its dark, low-light-pollution skies away from Cleveland.

Visiting Warner and Swasey Nassau Station

Since its 2017 restoration the site has welcomed the public again as part of Observatory Park's programming. Check the park's current schedule and any admission details online before you go, as observatory hours are typically weather- and season-dependent.

See your named star from here

With its dark sky park designation and a 36-inch telescope on hand, Nassau Station is a genuinely good place to try spotting a named star's coordinates for yourself. Browse the star catalogue or start with one of our naming packages before your visit.