Location
The Little Thompson Observatory is on the grounds of the Berthoud High School, in Berthoud, CO. It is located a short walking distance from the East Parking Lot of the High School.
The Presentation Room (aka Warm Room)
This is your first stop, where we offer talks and other presentations. It can comfortably accommodate 50 visitors or more.
The “star wall” of the presentation room illustrates the full year’s night sky. It shows constellations, major stars, and selected deep-sky objects such as star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. The star wall also depicts the sky from the cultural perspective of the First Nations, specifically the Souix. We like to turn the main lights down so that the stars glow under the ultraviolet lights.
This room also includes a digital projection system for showing films or computer slide-shows.
The 18″ Tinsley Cassegrain Telescope
Donated to the LTO, this is our primary telescope for public use. It is just a few steps up a curving stairway from the presentation room. Inside the dome, the lights are dim and red, to allow the eye to adapt to darkness.
Because the telescope and dome are computer controlled, we can quickly locate interesting objects wherever they happen to be in the sky on your visit.
Click here to learn everything about the 18″ LTO telescope.
The 24″ Mt. Wilson Telescope
Click here to learn about future plans for the 24″ Mt. Wilson telescope.
