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Friends of the Observatory (FOTO)

Friends of the Observatory (FOTO) is the Observatory’s amateur astronomy group. FOTO has been integral to the organization since the inception of the Cincinnati Observatory Center in 1999. Along with several neighbors and community members, FOTO members helped save the Observatory from potential demolition, as the Center shifted its mission to one of preservation and education.

FOTO members host a meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month featuring an astronomy topic and speaker (see details for next meeting below), and all Observatory members are invited. In addition, FOTO hosts social events including a holiday dinner and an annual picnic. All Observatory members are welcome to participate in FOTO activities and programs as a benefit of membership. It's a great group for all, especially those wanting to learn more about astronomy and space science!

FOTO leadership this year includes:

Valerie Niemi, Chair

Michael Schock, Vice Chair

Mike Brown, Secretary

Bonnie Speeg, Treasurer

FOTO helps in several areas, including giving tours of the Observatory, leading programming, conducting historical research, and planning the 2nd Monday FOTO meetings, which again are open to all Observatory members. FOTO also runs the Stonelick Stargazers dark sky viewing events at Stonelick State Park. The group is a great support to the organization, sharing the wonders of the universe with thousands of people every year alongside Observatory staff.

To join as a member and participate in all that the Observatory - and FOTO - have to offer, click here!

Next Meeting

March 9, 2026

7:30pm

Mapping the Dark Side of the Universe

Presented by Jessie Muir,

Asst. Professor of Physics, UC

In the past several decades, observations of distant astronomical objects have led to the surprising realization: ninety-five percent of the mass and energy in the Universe is made of mysterious components called dark matter and dark energy. By making more and more precise measurements of the large-scale properties of the Universe, we search for clues about how to develop more fundamental descriptions of this “dark side” of the Universe. This talk will give an overview of how we can use measurements from galaxy surveys, which map the distribution of matter in the Universe, to learn about dark energy, dark matter, and gravity. It will also highlight science being done with two observational efforts: Dark Energy Survey, which collected data 2013-2019 and just released science results from the completed survey, and the soon-to-begin Vera Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

Speaker bio: Jessie Muir conducts research in cosmology theory and data analysis with the goal of using observations of the large-scale Universe to learn about fundamental physics. She is part of two galaxy survey collaborations: the Dark Energy Survey and the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time Dark Energy Science Collaboration (LSST DESC).

She's been interviewed about dark energy science for Astronomy.com and Scientific American, and has a little cameo in the dark energy episode of Katie Mack's Cosmology 101 youtube series.