John J. McCarthy Observatory

The John J. McCarthy Observatory is a world-class astronomical observatory (International Astronomical Union code 932) located on the campus of the New Milford High School, on Route 7 in New Milford Connecticut.

It is a state-of-the-art educational and research facility. It is open to all: students, community groups, the general public, educators, and researchers with no charge for its use. The facility is equipped with complete accessibility for the disabled, including a lift for wheelchair users, voice activated telescope control software, and a flexible eyepiece extender.

The observatory's telescopes and equipment include: 3 telescopes (410mm Meade LX200 reflector, 106mm Takahashi refractor, and a Meade 5” refractor customized as a solar telescope with a Coronado 90mm SolarMax hydrogen alpha filter), a weather station, a film camera, video cameras, CCD cameras, color filter wheels, an adaptive optics unit, a spectrograph, and much more.

The McCarthy Observatory is managed by the John J. McCarthy Observatory Corporation, a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization. It was built and is operated entirely through the generosity of local donors and foundation grants.

Local residents initiated planning of the Observatory in 1998 and 33 months to the day later; on December 2, 2000 it was dedicated and turned over to the New Milford Board of Education. This team led the fundraising campaign, designed, built, and equipped the facility, and operates and maintains it for the community.

We encourage you to visit out facility with your friends, family and/or colleagues. Please Click Here to view the current schedule and to access the on line visitation request form. You can also contact us at 860.354.1595 (phone and fax).

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