Blaine F. Roelke Memorial Observatory

The Blaine F. Roelke Memorial Observatory is located at the Bear Branch Nature Center in Westminster, Maryland. The three-meter Ash dome houses a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that is used for public observing sessions, member observing nights, and special events.

One of the benefits of WASI membership is that members are allowed to use this instrument. From time to time we conduct training, and once trained, you’re welcome to run the observatory and telescope. Members often attach a camera - or, run it visually using our eyepieces.

Our 14" SCT is on a Astro Physics mount which is pretty easy to use. The user manual is here.

We also have a solar scope in the observatory, a collection of eyepieces, and much more!

To comply with our agreement with the County, and for insurance reasons, there are procedures which must be followed when using the observatory. These can be found here.