AUSTIN, Minn. (KTTC) –The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center can give the public a glimpse of what lies beyond Earth’s atmosphere with the Sola Fide Observatory. Kelly Bahl is a naturalist with the nature center and said the organization acquired the observatory 1990s, after a doctor moved to Texas.
“When [the doctor moved], the city had to decide if the nature center or library was going to run it,” Bahl said. “So, the nature center took ahold of it, at that point, and it was mainly run by volunteers.”
People from southern Minnesota and northeast Iowa have traveled to the observatory to get a glimpse at what lies beyond the limits of the world. Inside the dome is an 18-inch telescope. The measurement is diameter of the mirror.
“The mirror is how telescopes are measured and that’s where the power comes from,” she said. ” The bigger the mirror, the more light it can gather and the fainter the objects you can see.”
Bahl can also position the telescope in any direction using two motors that control a hatch and the dome of the observatory. Astronomy enthusiasts can see galaxies or stars light years away by looking through the telescope.
“With ours you can see lots of nebulas, galaxies, other deep space objects, like that,” she said. “…you can see any part of the nighttime sky, no matter, what part it is just by moving the roof.”
When viewing nights are held at the observatory, Bahl said the reactions kids have are typically of amazement.
“They know what these things are, right? They know what these things are supposed to look like and they’re like ‘this is so cool’,” she said. “So, it is really fun to see those reactions.”
The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center will be hosting a public viewing event at the observatory on Saturday night from 9:30 to 11 p.m., which is weather-dependent. Also, on September 20, there will be a statewide star party where families can participate in activities at the nature center along with another viewing night at the observatory.
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