It’s Gimmick Commander Ben once again. I was recently at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, AZ when I saw a familiar and favorite site of our local observatory. I snapped this picture and did some graphical art renderings to get this image.

While we’re at it, I took a look at the web posting for the observatory and the following information was copied from them and I give them credit for it.

Rotary Centennial Observatory

The Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory (GRCO) is located at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona, east of the Southeast Regional Library (southeast corner of Greenfield and Guadalupe Roads). The observatory is open every Friday and Saturday evening at nightfall year-round weather permitting. The GRCO is owned by the Town of Gilbert and operated by the Riparian Institute.

Funding for the construction and operation of the GRCO comes from Riparian Institute memberships and grants, private and corporate donations, and the continuing support of the Gilbert Rotary Club. This project was designated the Gilbert Rotary Club’s centennial project to mark the 100-year anniversary of its inception in 1905.

The observatory houses a 16-inch diameter Meade, modified Richey-Cretien scope, guided by a Paramount ME computer-controlled German equatorial mount slaved to The Sky professional computer program. SRP contributed all funding for this state-of-the-art scope.

The East Valley Astronomy Club manages the observatory and staffs its operation and programs. To inquire about special scheduling for groups, contact the observatory manager: grco@evaconline.org

For The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, I’m Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski. 📚 📖 🔭 🚀 🧪 🧮 💫

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