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Telescope Loan and Consultation Program
The Cincinnati Observatory offers 1-month telescope loans, included for members at the family level or above! You can meet with us at the Observatory to go over the available telescopes, decide which is best for you, and we'll show you how to use it!
We also offer consultations at the observatory if you want to know more about a telescope you have, or advice for buying one of your own. A one hour consultation is $40 for non-members and $30 for members.
Appointments are made based on staff availability. Not sure how long your appointment should be? See below for a quick reference, or feel free to contact us to ask if you aren't sure:
- If you are only planning on loaning out a telescope from us, plan on your session being 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Most consultations will take about 1 hour, and this is the standard appointment time. This is where you bring your own telescope or telescopes for us to go over with you. We will discuss setup and teardown, maintenance, and locating objects with your telescope.
- Appointments can be shortened to 30 minutes if you prefer to meet with us for advice on what telescopes or equipment to invest in. These appointments should not include demonstrations on how to use equipment unless you also want to loan a telescope out afterwards.
To request a day and time, please reach out to our Astronomer, Dr. Wes Ryle at wes@cincinnatiobservatory.
