One of Dayton's most interesting assets may be the Miami Valley Astronomical Society (MVAS).
Founded in 1918 as the Dayton Astronomical Society, the MVAS manages FIVE observatories in or near the Dayton area, and is today a regional leader for educating the public and promoting the science of astronomy.
Two of the facilities are located at the Boonshoft Museum: the Apollo Observatory and the Junior Observatory and Training Station. The other three, at John Bryan State Park, are the John Bryan State Park Observatory, the Merry-Go-Round Observatory and the Maury Childs Memorial Observatory. The last three of these are located at a formerly top-secret Air Force facility, closed by the late 1970's.
It was in the late 1960s that the Planetarium and the Observatory were completed at the Dayton Museum of Natural History (today's Boonshoft Museum). Talent from WPAFB contributed significantly to the design of the Apollo observatory.
Today, the MVAS engages in public education (optical design, telescope making, observing), offers knowledge and experience to those less experienced - even beginners - and for those kindred spirts with a shared interest in places we can only visit with our eyes and our minds.
Images taken by members of the MVAS can be found here.
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