Announcements.
Site last updated:
June 9, 2013
Please join us Mon. May 13th at 8:30pm (weather permitting) for our next session.
Although the walking trails within DeKorte Park are closed, the Observatory is OPEN every Monday and Wednesday evening (weather permitting). In addition, all other programs in the Observatory will run as scheduled.
In addition to our regularly scheduled programs, we also host special events! Click here for more information.
The Winter/Spring 2013 Learning Series schedule is available. Registration is limited and pre-registration is required so click here to reserve your seat today!
The Winter 2013 and Spring 2013 Public Viewing Nights schedule is now available! It's free so please join us for an evening and learn about the sky above us.
To request information for everything related to education, events,and membership, please click here and complete the form.
Welcome to the William D. McDowell Observatory
Latitude: 40° 47’ 8.178”N Longitude: 74° 6’ 19.118”W Elevation: 25ft
William D. McDowell was the first Executive Director of the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission (HMDC), the predecessor to the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, the state agency that built the Observatory and adjacent classrooms and oversees the Meadowlands Environment Center. In 1969, the New Jersey Legislature created the HMDC “to protect the delicate balance of nature while providing for orderly development.” Mr. McDowell, a resident of North Arlington, passed away in 2007 at the age of 80.
