Little Thompson Observatory

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Little Thompson Observatory Bringing science and math down to earth! www.starkids.org Private groups can schedule a night at the LTO by visiting our website: www.starkids.org.

The Little Thompson Observatory (LTO) offers no-charge public access to the wonders of the night sky, either on one of our regularly scheduled public nights, or as a private group affair. When the weather co-operates, each session includes a guided tour of the sky using our large 18-inch telescope. Visiting groups have included pre-school children, home schooled students, scout troops, church groups, professional society meetings and community college groups. We also host Public Star Nights the third Friday of each month with speakers on current topics in astronomy. The Observatory is located on the grounds of Berthoud High School in Berthoud, CO. We’re an all-volunteer organization that survives on donations of time, talent, and money. Operated by the Little Thompson Science Foundation, the LTO has supported K-12 science education since 1996.

Public Star Night – September 11, 2026 Little Thompson ObservatoryDoors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 | Observing at...
09/10/2026

Public Star Night – September 11, 2026

Little Thompson Observatory

Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00

Dark Skies for All
A special presentation by Deb Price

Keeping skies dark is important not only for astronomy, but for other reasons including wildlife, safety, and human health. Explore the importance of dark skies, hear about the goals and successes of DarkSky Colorado, and learn how the Town of Berthoud is working towards dark sky certification.

Deborah Price is a nature educator. She retired several years ago from Boulder County Parks & Open Space, and also worked for the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas and other local organizations. She served on the board of DarkSky Colorado for four years and currently volunteers with a number of organizations along the Front Range to present astronomy and nature programs.

Following the talk by Deb, the observatory will be open for public viewing through our telescopes, weather permitting.

Celebrating 27 Years of serving the public.

Special Public Star Night – Friday, June 19, 2026 Little Thompson Observatory Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 ...
06/20/2026

Special Public Star Night – Friday, June 19, 2026

Little Thompson Observatory

Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00

Rethinking how life developed on Earth: Evidence from asteroids

A special presentation by

Suzanne Metlay, Ph.D.

Asteroids Bennu and Ryugu are providing new perspectives on how simple molecules required for life on Earth formed in space. Recent papers on data from NASA and JAXA missions to these similar places suggest that we should re-think our standard models. Let’s consider what we are learning about these bodies and our own origins.

Suzanne Metlay, Ph.D. is full-time faculty in Earth & Space Sciences Teacher Education at Western Governors University, a fully online non-profit university founded in 1997 by 19 governors of western states, including Colorado. Previously, Suzanne taught astronomy and geology at Front Range Community College in Longmont and Fort Collins, was Operations Director for Secure World Foundation in Superior, and served as Education Programs Manager at CU-Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium. Currently, Suzanne is a past President of the Teacher Education Division of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and serves on the Advocacy Committee.

Suzanne has a BA in History and Science from Harvard University and a PhD in Geology and Planetary Science from the University of Pittsburgh. She was awarded the Antarctica Service Medal from the Department of the Navy and National Science Foundation for fieldwork conducted as a participant in the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) in 1991.

Following the talk by Suzanne, the observatory will be open for public viewing through our telescopes, weather permitting.

Celebrating over 25 Years of serving the public.

Public Star Night – Friday, June 19, 2026Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker: 7:30 | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00Rethinki...
06/14/2026

Public Star Night – Friday, June 19, 2026
Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker: 7:30 | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00

Rethinking how life developed on Earth: Evidence from asteroids
A special presentation by Suzanne T. Metlay, Ph.D
Details at www.starkids.org

🌟 Public Star Night📅 Friday, January 16, 2026📍 Little Thompson Observatory⏰ Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 | Obs...
01/14/2026

🌟 Public Star Night

📅 Friday, January 16, 2026

📍 Little Thompson Observatory

⏰ Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00

Webb, Roman and HabWorlds - Space Telescopes at the Astronomical Frontier

A special presentation by Dr. Gregory Wirth

Join us for an evening with Dr. Gregory Wirth of BAE Systems on the remarkable technologies behind NASA's current and future space telescopes. Learn how the pending Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope promises to change our ideas about dark matter and dark energy with a camera 100 times more powerful than those on Hubble and Webb. Get a glimpse into the future with NASA's ambitious Habitable Worlds Observatory, designed to identify and study Earth-like exoplanets using cutting-edge optics technology. And learn what new astronomical discoveries NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope is delivering with its astonishingly sharp infrared images of the universe. This accessible talk is geared to all with an interest in astronomy.

Dr. Wirth is an avid astronomer with a passion for sharing his love of space with the public. He studied physics, math, and astronomy at Northwestern University before earning his Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where his thesis exploited early data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Greg spent 16 years on Hawaii’s Big Island at the renowned W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and has lived in Longmont since 2014. He now serves as an astronomer and systems engineer for Boulder-based BAE Systems, a leading American aerospace company with a long history of contributing to groundbreaking astrophysics missions like Hubble, Spitzer, Chandra, and Deep Impact.

Following the talk by Greg, the observatory will be open for public viewing through our telescopes, weather permitting.

Celebrating 26 Years of serving the public.

12/19/2025

CANCELLED. Our speaker and public night program for tonight, Dec. 19 are CANCELLED due to hazardous winds and power outages in Berthoud. Please see www.starkids.org for our January program. Apologies to all who were planning to attend.

Tonight’s (Dec. 19) Public Star Night has been CANCELED. Sorry for the late notice.We have decided to cancel for tonight...
12/19/2025

Tonight’s (Dec. 19) Public Star Night has been CANCELED.

Sorry for the late notice.

We have decided to cancel for tonight due to the high winds and power outages and reschedule for next month.

🌟 Public Star Night📅 Friday, December 19, 2025⏰ Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00 ...
12/12/2025

🌟 Public Star Night

📅 Friday, December 19, 2025

⏰ Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker 7:30 | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00

Webb, Roman and HabWorlds - Space Telescopes at the Astronomical Frontier

A special presentation by: Dr. Gregory Wirth

Join us for an evening with Dr. Gregory Wirth of BAE Systems on the remarkable technologies behind NASA's current and future space telescopes. Learn how the pending Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope promises to change our ideas about dark matter and dark energy with a camera 100 times more powerful than those on Hubble and Webb. Get a glimpse into the future with NASA's ambitious Habitable Worlds Observatory, designed to identify and study Earth-like exoplanets using cutting-edge optics technology. And learn what new astronomical discoveries NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope is delivering with its astonishingly sharp infrared images of the universe. This accessible talk is geared to all with an interest in astronomy.

Dr. Wirth is an avid astronomer with a passion for sharing his love of space with the public. He studied physics, math, and astronomy at Northwestern University before earning his Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where his thesis exploited early data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Greg spent 16 years on Hawaii’s Big Island at the renowned W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and has lived in Longmont since 2014. He now serves as an astronomer and systems engineer for Boulder-based BAE Systems, a leading American aerospace company with a long history of contributing to groundbreaking astrophysics missions like Hubble, Spitzer, Chandra, and Deep Impact.

Following the talk by Greg, the observatory will be open for public viewing through our telescopes, weather permitting.

Celebrating 25 Years of serving the public.

Some photos from Berthoud High School's Monday Night Astronomy Class!!
12/09/2025

Some photos from Berthoud High School's Monday Night Astronomy Class!!

Special Public Star Night – Friday, November 21, 2025Little Thompson ObservatoryDoors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker NA | ...
11/21/2025

Special Public Star Night – Friday, November 21, 2025

Little Thompson Observatory

Doors Open: 7:00 | Guest Speaker NA | Observing at LTO: 7:00-10:00

No Speaker this month

While we don't have a speaker this month we will be open for you to come out and look through our large 24 inch Newtonian, 18 inch Cassegrain and 6 inch Astro-Physics telescopes.

Please come on out and have some fun looking at the wonders of the universe.

The observatory will be open for public viewing through our large telescopes, weather permitting.

Celebrating 25 Years of serving the public.

Address

850 Spartan Avenue
Berthoud, CO
80513

Telephone

(970) 613-7793

Website

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