Fred Bay Observatory

Fred Bay Observatory
Hisey Park
5443 Middletown Rd.
Waynesville, Ohio 45068

Fred-Bay-Observatory
The Fred Bay Observatory in evening twilight, with dome shutters open, preparing for a night of observing. Credit: Warren County Astronomical Society

Members of the Warren County Astronomical Society (WCAS) operate the Fred Bay Observatory at Hisey Park near Waynesville and share it with the public under an agreement with the Warren County Park District. The group also helps operate the Rachel A. Hutzel Observatory at Camp Joy near Clarksville.

The WCAS partnered with the Warren County Park District and multiple community groups and individuals to design, raise funds, and build the Fred Bay Observatory at Hisey Park. The observatory is named in honor of the late Fred Bay, a long-time Warren County Park District commissioner and amateur astronomer. He spearheaded a community effort to add night sky viewing to the park district’s nature education programs.

Opened in 2017, the Fred Bay Observatory features a 16-foot dome housing a nine-inch refracting telescope. The observatory’s large telescope, designed and constructed by Jeff Blazey of Lebanon, Ohio, enables visitor viewing of Solar System planets, and deep-space objects.

The observatory facility features a rotating dome, an outdoor education plaza, and indoor meeting spaces in Hisey Park’s other buildings so astronomy programs can be offered year-’round. Under an agreement with the Warren County Park District, WCAS provides stargazing activities and special events for the public at the Fred Bay Observatory.

The schedule for events open to the public free of charge is available online at wcas-oh.org/events.

Source: Warren County Astronomical Society website.