🔭 OPEN NIGHTS
Every Wednesday
7:30 PM

💰 ADMISSION
Free — all welcome
Donations appreciated

📍 FIND US
176 Robbin Hill Rd
Frewsburg, NY

click on image for more info and Zoom link

Join Dr. Alexandra Yep at the Martz-Kohl Observatory on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. EDT for her talk, “The Study of Stars: Tools of Discovery and How We Use Them,” which will take place live at the observatory and will also be streamed online via Zoom. This image highlights the incredible diversity of stellar lifecycles– from low-mass red dwarfs (left) to massive blue-white supergiants that can reach 150 solar masses (right). While our middle-weight Sun sits right in between, the bloated red giant (bottom) illustrates the dramatic expansion a star undergoes in diameter near the very end of its life.

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Open Observatory Wednesday Nights

View our calendar for a complete list of events and times.

Sign-up here for group reservations.

Upgrading Our Vision for the Future

Led by President Tom Traub, the Observatory is modernizing its technology to stay at the cutting edge of astronomy. We are currently in the process of “dialing-in” a powerful new Kepler KL4040FI camera and its associated software on the Martz 24″ telescope. This transition involves upgrading our entire imaging pipeline to ensure every component works in perfect harmony, replacing aging hardware with a system designed for the future.

Although we are still fine-tuning the setup, the initial results represent a significant leap forward. The new camera allows us to capture stunning cosmic details with much greater efficiency—often in a fraction of the time required by our previous equipment. By moving to this high-resolution technology, we are ensuring the observatory continues to provide a world-class view of the stars for our community.

As we continue to calibrate the system and refine our processes, we invite you to explore these early “test” images. They offer a glimpse of the incredible clarity and depth we can now achieve as we bring the universe into sharper focus than ever before.

Hover or tap images for details; click or tap again to enlarge.

M42: The Orion Nebula: The new Kepler camera captures rich colors and sharp details in only 6 seconds. Our older equipment required 30 seconds to produce a similar result.
M63 (Sunflower Galaxy): This 8-minute exposure demonstrates the high resolution of our new camera, picking up : the dusty “petals” of this distant spiral galaxy.
M101 (The Pinwheel Galaxy): We continue to calibrate our new software. Deep-sky images like this 450-second exposure are showing incredible clarity in the galaxy’s spiral arms.
M27 (The Dumbbell Nebula): A 120-second exposure reveals the delicate gas clouds surrounding a star that is slowly transforming into a white dwarf.
M13 (Great Globular Cluster in Hercules): A 1-minute capture that resolves thousands of individual stars.
This is a mosaic of six different shots, captured during late twilight—a challenging time for photography that our new setup handles with ease.

Explore & Learn the Night Sky

click to view webpage

Martz-Kohl Observatory member Andy Felong has developed two companion web resources that together offer a broad introduction to observational astronomy — from learning the constellations overhead to tracking down the galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters hiding within them. Both resources are free, educational, and non-commercial.

The Constellation Guide covers all 88 officially recognized constellations. It blends history, science and artistry with high-quality photography, official star charts, and a unique “Stars and Sticks” rendering that displays stars sized by magnitude and colored by spectral type. Star-hopping navigation guides help you find your way around the night sky, and a “Greek Sky Stories” section connects modern astronomy with the ancient mythological origins of the constellations. Explore the Constellation Guide →

The Deep-Sky Object Guide is the natural next step — once you know your way around the constellations, this companion resource helps you find what lies within them. It covers 219 galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters — from glowing clouds of gas where new stars are being born, to ancient globular clusters and island universes millions of light-years away — documented with ground-based imagery, finder charts, scientific data, and observing notes for visual observers and astrophotographers alike. Explore the Deep-Sky Object Guide →

Check Out Our Lecture Series Video Library!

We currently have a video library of over 50 presentations on a variety of topics, including the James Webb Space Telescope, black holes, cosmic origins, climate change, Mars rovers, astrophotography, telescopes, and even a doctoral defense. Speakers include NASA scientists, university professors in physics and astronomy, amateur astronomers, and observatory members.

Library Telescope Loan Program

Randolf Library
Warren Public Library

The Martz-Kohl Observatory participates in the Library Telescope Program which places telescopes in local public libraries, allowing general access to portable telescopes that can be put into circulation just like a book. The goals of the program are to help foster scientific literacy, to stimulate interest in astronomy, enable people who have never looked through a telescope the chance to experience the excitement that comes from discovery, and to provide a valuable asset for libraries.

Telescopes and accessories include an Orion Starblast 4.5″ telescope with zoom eyepiece, red flashlight, planisphere (night sky map), observers guide, moon map, and manuals. The telescopes are easy to use, robust, and are modified to make them more durable and patron friendly. MMMAA members have provided hands-on training for library staff to ensure they are comfortable with the telescope and are able to answer basic patron questions. Reminder: NEVER look at the sun with a telescope unless you have a special solar filter and have had instruction on its use.

Local libraries currently participating in the telescope loan program, or will be soon, are:

  • Anderson-Lee Library (Silver Creek, NY))
  • Ashville Free Library (Ashville, NY)
  • Bemus Point Public Library (Bemus Point, NY)
  • Cassadaga Library (Cassadaga, NY)
  • Falconer Public Library (Falconer, NY)
  • Hazeltine Public Library (Jamestown, NY)
  • Kennedy Free Library (Kennedy, NY)
  • Mary E. Seymour Memorial Free Library (Stockton, NY)
  • Myers Memorial Library (Frewsburg, NY)
  • Randolph Free Library (Randolph, NY)
  • Sinclairville Free Library (Slinclairville, NY)
  • Warren Public Library (Warren, PA)

Visit the Martz-Kohl Observatory Online Store!

The Martz-Kohl Observatory has partnered with Falconer Printing to provide merchandise with our logo.  Purchases can be shipped or picked-up locally. Some non-apparel items are for sale at the observatory. A portion of all proceeds is donated to the observatory.

Visitors Welcome!

The Martz-Kohl Observatory is happy to host groups of all sizes — scouts, school classes, civic organizations, clubs, and families are all invited to experience the wonders of the night sky.

Note: There is no need for a reservation for our Wednesday events – Open Observatory Night or Lecture Night!

Planning a family or small group visit?
→ Reserve a Family Visit

Bringing a school, scout troop or organization?
→ Schedule a Group Visit

Use our event calendar to learn about upcoming lectures and events
open to the public.
→ View Upcoming Events

 

The Martz-Kohl Observatory is managed by the Marshal Martz Memorial Astronomical Association, Inc., a non-profit organization comprised of amateur astronomers. The association is committed to observational astronomy, with a particular emphasis on educational outreach, citizen science initiatives, and the enjoyment derived from stargazing. The observatory is located at 176 Robbin Hill Rd, Frewsburg, NY 14738– not far from Chautauqua Lake, Jamestown, NY, and Warren, PA.