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Dedication of Observatory Building at Turner Farm Park

The public is invited to join with local officials at the dedication of the renovated Observatory Building in Observatory Park at Turner Farm on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 10 a.m.

Working in partnership with the Analemma Society, and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the Park Authority Board is helping to develop a park and observatory at Turner Farm in Great Falls, Va. This is the only observatory in the Park Authority.

The Observatory Park portion of Turner Farm Park was previously owned by the U.S. Government and used by the Army Defense Mapping Agency for an assortment of functions including NIKE missile monitoring and other radar functions. The observatory building is a converted radar tower. The United States Geologic Service established monuments on the property to help geolocate objects in space in an application that was a precursor to modern-day GPS applications.

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Programs are already in full swing at the site with the Analemma Society hosting viewings of the night sky in Observatory Park on Friday evenings. The Analemma Society has exciting plans for the site and hopes to achieve their goal of promoting science education through astronomy in the Northern Virginia area.

For more information about the Analemma Society please visit them online. For more information visit Turner Farm Park online.

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