Observing Facilities, Sites
Cherry Grove Observatory
70 miles SSE of Twin Cities
(Lat: 44.19675 Lon: -92.86244)
Overview
The Minnesota Astronomical Society owns a small parcel of land in
Goodhue County known as "Cherry Grove". It is the
Society's "dark sky" site.
Cherry Grove is ideal for experienced amateur astronomers,
particularly those interested in astrophotography, CCD imaging or
observing projects requiring maximum sky darkness.
Directions
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Cherry Grove is located south of the Twin Cities. It is
in Goodhue County, about 20 miles south of Cannon Falls.
To reach Cherry Grove, head south on Highway 52. On 52 about
six miles south of Cannon Falls, and just past the Edgewood Inn,
is a large green highway sign for Goodhue County Rd. 1
"WEST". Turn right, and follow County 1 straight south
for about sixteen miles until you arrive at a "T" intersection. The observatory
is immediately at your right, nestled in the shoulder of the
"T".
The Cherry Grove address is 8485 520th St. Kenyon Mn
55946. (520th street is Dodge County A.)
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[Click on map to enlarge] |
Facilities
Parking: There is limited parking space on the property.
Parking on the shoulder of County Road 1 is an option.
Restrooms: There is a rustic outhouse on western edge of
the property.
Observatory: There is a roll-off roof observatory
building that shelters a 16" newtonian reflector.
Warming: There is a one-room warming house with
electrical heat. Keys for the warming house are available to all
MAS members. Contact the Society's secretary to request a key.
Electrical: There are electrical outlets on the exterior
of the warming house. They are controlled by a breaker box inside
the warming house, so a key is needed to use the electricity.
Concrete Pad: A concrete pad is available.
Access
The Cherry Grove site is available 24 hours a day. Keys,
available to any MAS member, are required to use the observatory
building, the warming house and the outdoor electrical outlets.
[Note: Visitors who have no experience attending a star party
in a "dark-sky" location like Cherry Grove or who seek
detailed advice or answers to their questions may be more comfortable
attending public viewing nights at our Onan
Observatory at Baylor Regional Park. The
observatory is always open on its scheduled public nights and staffed
with volunteers ready and willing to help. (See http://www.mnastro.org/onan
for a schedule of public events and directions to the observatory.)]
Site Manager Contact Information
For further information about Cherry Grove or to
help with its upkeep and development, contact MAS member Vic Heiner (HeinerV@aol.com), the location's site
manager.
Photographs
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