Martz-Kohl Observatory

08/28/2026

Had quite a few visitors join us for a view of the lunar eclipse on the night of August 27-28. This is an image captured by our Takahashi refractor telescope and Nikon D850 camera, mounted on the Kohl 20" telescope. You can see the blue ozone fringe along the edge of the shadow. The red color comes from light refracted through the Earth's atmosphere- absorbing blue light and allowing red light to illuminate the Moon. 👍🔭

08/27/2026

Congratulations to Patrick Marr, winner of the SeeStar Telescope! In addition to the telescope, Patrick will receive free support for setup and use-- and lots of encouragement :)

08/22/2026

Member and past president, Gary Nelson, captured this impressive image of the Veil Nebula with his SeeStar telescope. Last few days for a chance to win a SeeStar S30 Pro smart telescope. See other posts for details.

08/12/2026

🌌 Watch for the Perseid Meteor Shower tonight, Wednesday, August 12th! 🌌

The weather report currently shows a window of clear skies for a few hours after midnight—so if those clouds clear as promised, we're heading out to catch the peak of the Perseid meteor shower!

The "radiant" for the Perseids is in the constellation Perseus (rising about 45° up in the northeast after midnight).

What makes it a "radiant"?
The radiant is the focal point where the meteor paths trace back to. Because Earth is hurtling through the ancient dust trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle at 37 miles per second, perspective makes all the particles look like they are radiating outward from the constellation Perseus.

Where to look & how many you'll see:

Look anywhere: You don't need to stare directly at Perseus! In fact, the meteors can zip across any patch of the sky, and the longest, brightest trails usually show up about 45° away from the radiant. Just lie back and scan the darkest part of the sky overhead.

Hourly count: Under dark skies, we could see anywhere from 30 to 50+ meteors per hour at peak!

Fingers crossed those clear hours hold up! 🤞✨

08/07/2026

Point it at the sky. It does the rest.
WIN a ZWO Seestar S30 Pro smart telescope ($700+ value)!

Watch the night sky unfold on your phone.

🎟️ $10 per ticket • Only 300 available
📅 Drawing August 26, 2026

DM Martz-Kohl Observatory or Andy Felong. Venmo accepted. Supports the observatory and our educational outreach. 🔭

The Martz-Kohl Observatory in Frewburg, NY, is a non-profit organization devoted to the amateur astronomer. The emphasis is on observational astronomy and citizen science, well-rooted in public education and enjoyment of the starry skies.

07/24/2026

07/06/2026

🔭 **Win a ZWO Seestar S30 Pro Smart Telescope!** 🔭 (a $700+ value!)

The Martz-Kohl Observatory is raffling off a ZWO Seestar S30 Pro — an all-in-one smart telescope that takes the guesswork out of astrophotography. No mounts to align, no manual focusing — just point it at the sky and let it do the work. Its onboard AI identifies what you're looking at in real time, and it earned a CES Innovation Award for its educational tech. At just 3.6 lbs, it's compact enough to grab and go, yet capable of capturing sharp, detailed images of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, the Moon, and even the Sun — all controlled from your phone.

🎟️ Tickets are $10 each, with only 300 available!

Interested? Reach out to Andy Felong (https://www.facebook.com/andy.felong/) or Laurie Livingston (https://www.facebook.com/laurie.livingston.7) on Facebook via DM (note email and phone number) or reply to this post - for details on how to use Venmo to get your ticket(s). You can also obtain tickets from any board member.

Good luck, and thank you for supporting the observatory!

06/23/2026

Members of the Jamestown NY-402 Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol — the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary — gather outside the Martz-Kohl Observatory during a recent visit. The all-volunteer squadron pairs emergency-services training with aerospace education and a youth cadet program — a mission that dovetails with the observatory's own work introducing the community to astronomy and STEM. You can find out more about the squadron at https://jamestownny402.cap.gov

05/08/2026

TELESCOPE TRAINING AT THE STOCKTON LIBRARY: MAY 28th 🔭