The CWU Observatory is located on a vibrationally isolated tower accessible from the roof of the Science II building and is operated by the Physics Department. The observatory provides research opportunities (PHYS 495) and hands-on training (PHYS 201) for undergraduate students, as well as observing experiences for the general public.

CWU Astronomy Club hosts 1-2 star parties per month that are open to the public. Check out the Astronomy Events page for more information.

Students interested in becoming involved in astronomy research should visit the Observatory Research page.

Latitude and Longitude:

47.0068° N, 120.5360° W

Altitude of observatory:

480 meters

Directions and parking information:

Parking lot H6 is the recommended parking lot to use for visiting Science II on weekends or after 4:30pm on weekdays. Most visits start at the Lydig Planetarium indicated by a blue star on the map.

The Planetarium is indicated by the blue star
View the entire map of CWU.
 

Telephone numbers for the Observatory:

Room 401 (control room): 509-963-2765

Room 501 (dome): 509-963-2182

Research Telescope:

The ACE 0.6-meter telescope was installed on the roof of the Science II building in 2017. The telescope has an FLI 4240 Proline CCD and will eventually have a spectrograph.