Door County, Wis. (September 30, 2026) – The Door Peninsula Astronomical Society (DPAS) announces a historic upgrade to the Leif Everson Observatory. Located on the DPAS campus at 2200 Utah Street in Sturgeon Bay, the observatory continues to be the focus of many stargazing events. With the addition of faster computers and a pair of large screen color monitors, as well as a new Network Addressable Device to store images, DPAS continues its cutting-edge work which distinguishes it as the premier observatory in the Upper Midwest. DPAS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization made up of approximately 85 members.
The campus is a cooperative venture between the Sturgeon Bay School District, Crossroads at Big Creek, and the Sturgeon Bay Education Foundation. The observatory was founded with the generosity of Ray Stonecipher, a retired UW-Whitewater professor, as well as a grant from the Peterson Foundation and a large gift from Francis and Arliss Everson in memory of their late son, Leif Everson.
Groundbreaking took place in July of 1997 and was headed by Dr. Stonecipher and Jim Maki, a teacher at T.J. Walker Middle School. While the original 14-inch telescope served DPAS quite well, a newer, more powerful telescope was purchased in March of 2022. The Planewave telescope is 17 inches in diameter and utilizes a magnetic direct drive mount which allows for much more precise tracking of celestial objects. Coupled with highly advanced cameras which feed the computer/monitor system, DPAS is able to capture incredibly detailed images from deep space. One of the cameras is spectrographic, meaning it measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra as it interacts with matter.
DPAS has always existed as an educational tool for Door County’s astronomical enthusiasts, and part of that is manifested in outreach to local schools via a portable planetarium to encourage the love of science in students. DPAS also awards a scholarship to select local students continuing their education in STEM fields, totaling about $40,000 annually. Founder Ray Stonecipher left his estate to DPAS in order to fund a continuing gift to the Door County community, including these scholarships, and DPAS continues this mission by hiring student interns. Our most recent intern, Amanda Austin, conducted research that recorded the transits of a large number of known exoplanets and the stellar spectrums of nearly fifty stars. This data was submitted to the American Association of Variable Star Observers, where it can be used by professional astronomers to better understand our universe.
Astronomy is alive and well at the DPAS campus and visitors are always welcome to attend events, join as members, and learn how to marvel at the night skies!
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