Chabot Space and Science Center facts for kids
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View of the entrance of the Chabot Space and Science Center
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| Established | 1883 |
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| Location | Oakland, California, United States |
| Type | Planetarium |
The Chabot Space and Science Center (/ʃəˈboʊ/), located in Oakland, California, is an exciting place to learn about Earth and space. It has cool interactive exhibits, planetariums, a big theater, and three amazing telescopes.
This center grew from an old public observatory that started way back in 1883. It helped schools and people in the San Francisco Bay Area learn about astronomy and science. The center is named after Anthony Chabot, who helped start the first Oakland Observatory. Since 2000, it has been next to Redwoods Regional Park. It even works with NASA, hosting the NASA Ames Visitor Center!
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Discovering the Chabot Space and Science Center's Past
The Chabot Space and Science Center began as the Oakland Observatory in 1883. Anthony Chabot gave this gift to the City of Oakland. The first observatory was in downtown Oakland. It let people look through telescopes. For many years, it also kept the official time for the whole Bay Area. It used a special transit telescope to do this.
In 1915, the observatory moved to Mountain Boulevard. This was because of too much light pollution and city growth. In the 1960s, the center grew much bigger. During this time, it was called Chabot Science Center. Most of its staff were from the Oakland Unified School District and volunteers.
In 1977, safety worries stopped students from using the main observatory building. The building stayed open to the public. But school activities moved to other classrooms and the planetarium.
To fix this, a new group called Chabot Observatory & Science Center was formed in 1989. It worked with the City of Oakland, the Oakland Unified School District, and the East Bay Regional Park District. In 1992, it became a nonprofit group. Dr. Michael D. Reynolds led the project. Construction for the new 88,000-square-foot (8,200 m2) Science Center began in 1998.
In January 2000, the group changed its name. It became the Chabot Space & Science Center. This new name showed its focus on astronomy and space sciences. It also showed the cool, high-tech programs available.
The new Chabot Space & Science Center opened on August 19, 2000. It is a 86,000-square-foot (8,000 m2) science and technology center. It sits on 13-acre (53,000 m2) in the Oakland hills.
What Can You See at Chabot?
Besides its amazing telescopes, the center has many other cool things:
- A "full dome digital projection system" that shows different movies every day. It also has a Zeiss Universarium projector for weekly shows.
- The NASA Ames Visitor Center. This hands-on exhibit shows the exciting process of scientific discovery. It shares real stories and people from NASA’s Ames Research Center.
- The Theater, which has a 70-foot (21 m) dome screen. It used to show IMAX-like movies.
- Many changing exhibits with hands-on displays. These highlight different space and science topics.
Meet Chabot's Powerful Telescopes
The Chabot Space and Science Center has three observatory telescopes. You can look through all of them on weekends!
- "Leah" is an 8-inch refractor telescope. It was built in 1883 by Alvan Clark & Sons. Anthony Chabot donated it.
- "Rachel" is a 20-inch refractor telescope. It has a 28-foot focal length. It was made in 1914 by Warner & Swasey, with optics by John Brashear. It is the largest refractor telescope in the western United States that is regularly open to the public.
- "Nellie" is a 36-inch Cassegrain reflector telescope. It opened in August 2003. It is housed in a special observatory with a rolling roof. Its main mirror was given by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Quick Facts About the Observatories
- First Observatory: Built in 1883, near Downtown Oakland, California.
- Second Observatory: Built in 1915, at Mountain Boulevard.
- Third (Current) Observatory: Built in 2000, at Skyline Boulevard.
More Details on Chabot's Telescopes
Leah
- Type: Refracting telescope
- Maker: Alvan Clark & Sons, 1883
- Aperture (size of lens): 8 inches
- Focal Length: 112 inches
- Mount: German equatorial
- Gift from: Anthony Chabot
- Purpose: For public viewing and learning
Meridian Transit Telescope
- Type: Transit telescope
- Maker: Fauth & Co., 1885
- Aperture: 4 inches
- Mount: Double Pier Transit
- Purpose: For public viewing, learning, and telling time
Rachel
- Type: Refracting telescope
- Maker: Warner & Swasey / John Brashear, 1914
- Aperture: 20 inches
- Focal Length: 28 feet (8.5 m)
- Mount: German equatorial
- Cost: $20,000
- Purpose: For public viewing and learning; it was also used to track spacecraft
Nellie
- Type: Reflecting telescope, a classical cassegrain reflector
- Maker: Chabot Space & Science Center, 2003
- Aperture: 36 inches
- Focal Length: 24 feet (7.3 m)
- Mount: Equatorial fork
- Purpose: For public viewing, learning, and research, like tracking Near Earth Objects.
Explore the Universe in the Planetariums
The Planetarium can seat 250 people under a 70-foot (21 m) wide dome. It has live shows each week led by an astronomer. It also has daily pre-recorded "fulldome" shows.
- Zeiss Universarium: This special Zeiss Universarium Mark VIII projector uses fiber optics. It was recently updated. Its amazing optics create a clear, deep sky with up to 9,000 stars and other objects.
- Live Show: The Cosmos 360 show uses the planetarium's digital system. You can see the night sky up close. The guided tour shows planets, constellations, and current events in space. The show changes to match the stars you can see each season.
You can find a full list of daily shows and times on the center's planetarium page.
Join the Galaxy Explorers Program!
The Chabot Space and Science Center has volunteer and learning chances for local teens. These teens work as "explainers" on the museum floor. They also help with outreach trips. This program started with help from YouthALIVE! (Youth Achievement through Learning Involvement, Volunteer and Employment!).
See Also
- List of observatories
- List of largest optical refracting telescopes
