History of the Observatory

Taylor Observatory opened at the foot of Mt. Konocti in 1980, after years of advocacy and organization by Robert Taylor, an educator, amateur astronomer, and then-Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Lake County. Taylor's vision was to provide educational, scientific, and public access to astronomy in one of California's darkest-sky regions.

The result was a key educational hub for North Bay students, residents, and visitors.

The Observatory features a 16-inch research-grade telescope under a rotating dome with a four-foot shutter. An adjacent 36-seat classroom hosts school field trips from around the region.

In 1985, the 32-seat Norton Planetarium was added to the Taylor campus, later named for Evelyn Norton, longtime Operations Manager at the growing facility.

In 2004, Taylor underwent significant renovations sponsored by the local Rotary Club, the Ukiah Astronomical Society, and local amateur astronomers who would go on to form Friends of Taylor Observatory (FOTO). Those upgrades included the addition of a pioneering digital star projector in the planetarium, later updated to the current state-of-the-art Epsilon Model Digitarium Star Projector System.

Forty-six years after its founding, Taylor Observatory remains a unique and growing resource for North Bay stargazers, advancing Robert Taylor's vision to bring astronomy to the people.

"Astronomy is a gateway science that has inspired curiosity and creativity in people for thousands of years," says FOTO Board President Eduardo Alatorre-Acevedo. "The night sky is a sea of vast mysteries waiting to be explored."

Top: An astronomy enthusiast takes in a view of the night sky at the Taylor Observatory.

Bottom: Resident Astronomer Angelo Parisi shares a view to Saturn with guests at the Norton Planetarium.

John Burgess/The Press Democrat

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History of the Observatory

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