Welcome to the John J. McCarthy Observatory!

The Mission of the John J. McCarthy Observatory is to further science literacy, both for students and adults of the Western Connecticut region. With the great appeal of Astronomy, it is a natural tool for creating scientific curiosity and reinforcing interest and skills in science.

The all-volunteer staff of the Observatory is dedicated to exciting people to the joys of science and related fields of mathematics and technology.

Comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy)

With all the focus on Comet ISON’s close encounter of the solar kind, few have taken notice of another Oort Cloud wanderer making its way through the inner solar system. Comet C/2013 R1 (also known as Lovejoy, not to be confused with the other Comet Lovejoy) is another long period comet, with an estimated orbital period between 6,300 and 7,300 years. It’s in town for a few weeks before heading back to the outer solar system. JJMO Volunteers took advantage of clear skies just after midnight and took some images, including the below time-lapse video of the telescope and dome tracking the comet.

Second Saturday Stars

New telescope users: Bring your equipment and join us in the Newbie Help Corner on the SkyDeck, where one of our knowledgeable volunteers will assist in the set-up and use of your telescope.

The observatory is located on the grounds of New Milford High School on Rte. 7 in New Milford. Enter the high school grounds from Larson Rd., drive to the southwest corner and park in the lot in front of the observatory. Bring questions (and binoculars); we hope to see you there!

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS:

December 14 – NASA Spinoffs
January 11 – From JJMO to NASA and Mars: A Student’s Internship Experience
February 8 – Our Galactic Neighbors – The Local Group of Galaxies
March 8 – Multiple-star Systems & Clusters
April 12 – Results from GRAIL at the Moon
May 10 – Mapping the Universe