Palisades-Dows Observatory
Located at the Palisades-Dows Preserve in rural Linn County, the facilities on the observatory grounds include the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center and several other buildings that house permanently-mounted telescopes. The Learning Center houses two meeting rooms, a library, kitchenette, storage rooms and a number of exhibits. Instruments include a 16-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, a vintage Celestron C-16 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, a 5-inch refractor, several Coronado solar telescopes and a beautifully restored Boller & Chivens 24-inch classical Cassegrain telescope donated by The University of Iowa. Monthly public nights are held in the Learning Center meeting rooms followed by observing when conditions permit.