Despite its proximity to several major cities, Montauk is reputed to have some of the darkest skies on the East Coast.And that’s great news for star gazers.
On Saturday, Montauk Observatory’s telescope will be rolled into place at Third House in Montauk’s Theodore Roosevelt County Park for the first in a series of bi-weekly summer star gazing events.
Montauk Observatory is a non-profit organization founded a few years ago by a group of local astronomy aficionados. The telescope, a 20” Meade RCX, was purchased in 2006 and now, the group is poised to begin construction on an observatory to permanently house it.
“We’ve got the approvals we need,” says Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman. “We’re just finalizing the contract between the county and the observatory. Now we just have to do fundraising.”
It was Schneiderman, a Montauk resident and amateur astronomer, who came up with the idea of a telescope at Third House. Originally he set his sights on the telescope from Biosphere 2, a failed experiment in Arizona in which a group of people attempted to survive within a self-contained ecosystem. Sabotage and mismanagement tainted the experiment, and by early 2005 with the project in disarray, much of the Biosphere 2 campus, including its telescope, was up for sale.
But when it became obvious that purchase of the telescope would be difficult and expensive, Terry Beinstock along with David Larkin, Susan Harder of the Dark Sky Society and other interested residents started Montauk Observatory with the goal of obtaining a telescope for the site.
“The county park seemed a natural place,” says Schneiderman. “But we hit some roadblocks along the way — $200,00 was approved for a telescope that the county executive vetoed. The county puts millions of dollars into the Vanderbilt Planetarium in Centerport — the projector to create the artificial sky was $3 million. Here I was looking at a couple hundred grand for kids to see the real thing — not a reproduction — but couldn’t get the support. That was frustrating.”
Professional grade telescopes are extremely expensive, and realizing they would have to use private money for the purchase, members of Montauk Observatory prepared for a long road of fundraising. Then they got wind of the RCX — the first professional grade model produced by Meade.
“They were launching a prototype, the first new generation of professional grade telescopes at a fraction of the price,” said Beinstock. “Our astronomers went and looked at it and said this is fabulous.”
Though 50 customers were already on a waiting list for the new telescope, because they were a non-profit organization, Beinstock was able to convince Meade to put Montauk Observatory at the front of the line.
“They said we’ll do it,” recalls Beinstock, who along with Larkin came up with the money themselves for the telescope. “We bought the first one delivered anywhere in the world. What it did was dramatic. We were able to kick start this organization so we could start having programs while working on the building.”
Sean Tvelia, a professor of physical science at Suffolk County Community College and Montauk Observatory board member, often leads the star gazing programs and he is impressed by what the telescope can do.
“One of the most memorable nights I had was with a colleague when we brought the new telescope out to see the Milky Way for the first time over Long Island,” says Tvelia. “Then we realized it was actually casting shadows. Montauk is an incredible place to begin with — for stargazing, it’s amazing.”
“Every time we have an event, when I’m leaving Montauk, I’m watching the sky through the windshield,” adds Tvelia. “And the further west you go the fewer stars you see.”
The next step for the organization is to raise $150,000 for the observatory, and plans have been drawn up for the structure, which barring any setbacks, Schneiderman believes could be built within the next year.
“Right now, the telescope is on a giant motorized tripod,” explains Schneiderman. “Rolling it out over bumpy concrete and down ramps is not the ideal set up.”
The observatory design calls for a shingled building with a pitched roof that rotates and slides open to reveal the heavens.
“Robert Young designed the building for us. The county require it be artistically historic. It’s a one of a kind observatory that looks 100 years old,” says Beinstock who notes that donations of labor for the project have already been pledged.
“The telescope will be fully automated in the observatory,” says Tvelia. “Eventually, people will be able put a request in for an image on their computer. When the timing for the object is optimal, the telescope will take the picture and upload it.”
Getting the public excited about supporting the project is important, but Beinstock notes that the number one goal is to provide educational opportunities for the East End community at no cost.
“My insistence with this venture and the fundamental underpinning is that everything’s free to the public,” says Beinstock. “My belief was it’s about education and schools and kids. We have great art and sports programs out here, but I didn’t see any outlet for kids that was science oriented. I felt if we could buy a telescope, build an observatory and have an educational program it would be cool.”
Schneiderman, a former teacher, envisions the observatory as the centerpiece in what he hopes will become a true environmental education center at Third House, with classrooms and programming on nature, local history, coastal life, and the biodiversity inherent in the area.
“When you look through a telescope, there’s such a sense of perspective and wonder. Suddenly you feel pretty small,” says Schneiderman. “It’s a great way to interest kids in science and get them excited. Even just to get a sense of the vastness of space. It does force you to start thinking of the big questions in life — existence and how we came into being.”
It’s hard not to gaze through the telescope and feel a sense of awe,” he adds. “Looking through the telescope changes perspective.”
The June 6 Star Party at Theodore Roosevelt County Park on Route 27, east of Montauk Center, begins at 8:30 p.m. with a lecture by astronomer Tom Madigan of the Custer Institute followed by telescope viewing.
Starting with the next Montauk Observatory event on Saturday, June 20, all lectures will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Montauk Public School, followed by a dome show inside an inflatable planetarium. Then participants will take a trip out to Third House at around 9 p.m. for star gazing. Star parties follow on July 5, July 18, August 1, August 15 and September 6.
Above: Jupiter as viewed through Montauk Observatory's Meade RCX telescope
