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   I am a member of the CAA, which presently has two structures containing telescopes for public programs. We give monthly public presentations, March through October, covering a variety of astronomical topics, followed by a public viewing of the night sky.

   However, the presentations are outdoors and subject to the whims of Iowa weather. Accordingly, we have embarked on a fundraising campaign to create a large, professional-quality facility — the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center. The learning center will contain classroom space, restrooms, digital audio-visual equipment and new domes to house an automated 16-inch diameter telescope and a 24-inch diameter telescope that was generously donated by the University of Iowa.

   Visitors will be able to enjoy presentations in comfort — rain or shine. CAA members will continue to share their own telescopes with the public as they have done since the society’s founding in 1979.

   Project drawings, photos and other details can be found at www.cedarastronomers.org

   While the objectives of the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center differ from the Challenger Learning Centers, this center will enhance our mission to foster interest in astronomy, provide a learning laboratory for students and inspire wonder and curiosity about the universe and our place in it.
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Doug Slauson
Swisher