About Rainwater Observatory
The Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium is an educational ministry of French Camp Academy.
It was an outgrowth of the desire to appreciate that “the Heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).
Since its beginning in 1985, it has grown in a remarkable way and served thousands of people from around the world.
Gifted Becomes Gilded
In the summer of 1985, a 16’ reflector telescope was offered to the Jackson Astronomical Association in Jackson, Mississippi. At the time, they did not have the room or money for it. So, a member of the Association asked Mr. Stuart Irby, Jr., French Camp Academy’s Board Chairman, if the school would be interested in it. Jim Hill, an FCA teacher, was an amateur astronomer and became excited about the project. Hill, assisted by teachers Terry Beutin and Terry Roberts, students Ed Hill and Jerry Thompson and alumnus Steve Garcia, armed themselves with saws and hammers and caravanned to claim the prize. In addition to the telescope, they brought back a 10’ x 10’ building with a roll-off roof, along with many books and accessories.
The building was placed atop of an open ridge on French Camp Academy’s Rainwater farm property about a half mile east of the main campus on Highway 413. Far from ambient city lights, the site was an excellent place for an observatory. Bill Clark, owner of Observadome Laboratories in Jackson, Mississippi offered a used 10’ dome if the school could restore it. Hundreds of staff and student labor hours later, a shiny dome sat on the hill and was dedicated to the Lord’s use on Easter morning at sunrise.
Mississippi's Largest Observatory
The Observatory, the largest in the state, is spread out on our hilltop site and has over 25 telescopes, plus other optical instruments.
Our largest telescopes are a 32-inch Tectron with a Servocat and ArgoNavas automation system and a powerful, research grade, fully automated 25-inch Ritchey-Chretien Sangre telescope and control room with a long focal length, high resolution 6-inch Astrophysics refractor riding piggy back.
We also have two 20 inch Dobsonian telescopes that yield spectacular heavenly views.
More Telescopes for Exploring:
- Meade DS-16
- 2 Celestron C-14s
- 12.5-inch Ritchey-Cretien Cassegrain
- 12-inch LX-200 Schmidt-Cassegrain
- 12-inch fork-mounted Newtonian
- 2 C-11 Schmidt-Cassegrains
- 8" Orion Skyquest Reflector
- 10-inch & 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrains
- 10 inch Cave Reflector
- 10 inch Parks Reflector
- 6-inch AstroPhysics refractor
- Explore Scientific 127mm APO Triplet Refractor
- 80mm refractor
- 50, 70 and 80mm binoculars
- Daystar Solar filter on an 80mm Williams Doublet Refractor
- 60mm Coronado Solar Telescop
...and a number of other powerful scopes!
RAINWATER, ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING DARK POCKETS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
Our unique facility is located in one of the last remaining dark pockets left in the southeastern United States. We can offer a window into the splendor of the heavens that few around the country can offer. We provide day and nighttime astronomy related programming designed for a variety of different groups and organizations including, but not limited to, universities, schools, colleges, science and nature centers, senior adult and youth groups, international groups, scouts, civic groups, homeschools churches and other faith based organizations.
PLANETARIUM
We have an “Observa-dome" Planetarium with a six-meter dome and Spitz A-2 projector. It can seat as many as 50 people and is used primarily to teach stellar and planetary motion, constellations and mythology during the daytime and in the event of evening inclement weather.
STAFF
Edwin Faughn
Edwin Faughn is an artist and lecturer specializing in space sciences. His work has been featured in and or on the covers of leading space science magazines, books and various other publications, museums and media such as SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMY, CARDUS, SKY & TELESCOPE, KALMBACH BOOKS, FIREFLY BOOKS, EPSILON PUBLISHING (Denmark), ARTSMEMPHIS magazine, RSVP magazine Memphis, CHICKADEE (Canadian children's science magazine), LIFE@WORK, AMERICA (The National Catholic Weekly), MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL, SOUTHERN ROUTES (PBS affiliate WKNO presentation), MISSISSIPPI ROADS (PBS affiliate MPB) and the late Carl Sagan's PLANETARY REPORT magazine of the PLANETARY SOCIETY. His work has also been featured on the main KEPLER website of NASA's AMES RESEARCH CENTER. His original artwork has been featured in exhibitions such as the world premiere of TITANIC: THE EXHIBITION in Memphis, Tennessee and St. Petersburg, Florida, TRIBUTE TO YURI GAGARIN exhibition in Moscow, USSR, EXPLORING THE ART OF SPACE sponsored by the PLANETARY SOCIETY in Pasadena, California and GATEWAY TO THE UNIVERSE, in Titusville, Florida. It was featured in the (IAAA) traveling space art exhibition "THE ARTISTS UNIVERSE" which has been seen at the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the JOHNSON SPACE CENTER in Houston, Texas, OBSERVATORIO ASTRONOMICO Di PALERMO in Sicily, Italy, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY GALLERY, in New Jersey, INTERNATIONAL SPACE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE, Los Angeles, MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN (The W"),Columbus, Mississippi, BREVARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE in Cocoa Florida, SPACE FRONTIER FOUNDATION CONFERENCE in Los Angeles, California and the FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, in Gainesville, Florida. A MILKYWAY GALAXY MURAL is currently featured at the SCIENCE CENTER OF PINELLAS COUNTY, St. Petersburg, Florida. A few of Faughn's solo exhibitions have been featured at CREW TRAINING INTERNATIONAL in Memphis, Tennessee (CTI is one of the leading providers of Cockpit/Crew Resource Management (CRM) training for the world's military aviators.) His work has also been featured at the FEDERAL EXPRESS WORLD HEADQUARTERS, MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN,” THE W”, GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY and the SHARPE PLANETARIUM of the PINK PALACE FAMILY OF MUSEUMS in Memphis, Tennessee. Edwin has extensive experience in public speaking and over the past 35 years has presented hundreds of presentations with his work to diverse audiences including but not limited to conferences, universities, aviation firms, museums, schools, science centers and other educational, faith-based and civic organizations. A few of these include NASA's SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM, WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER INSTITUTE, FEDERAL EXPRESS WORLD HEADQUARTERS, MILLINGTON NAVAL AIR STATION (National Prayer Breakfast), PINK PALACE FAMILY OF MUSEUMS CTI IMAX THEATER (75th Anniversary Celebration), SHARPE PLANETARIUM, ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY keynote speaker for NASA's STEAM Initiative (STEM with Art + Design), LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER, GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY, (Distinguished Alumni Speaker), UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI, (Ole Miss), MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY, MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN (The W), ITAWAMBA COLLEGE, MERIDIAN COLLEGE, BARNARD OBSERVATORY and CREW TRAINING INTERNATIONAL. For nearly 25 years Edwin served as artist-photographer for the SHARPE PLANETARIUM of the PINK PALACE FAMILY OF MUSEUMS where he produced original traditional media and digital artwork, cartoon characters and animation for numerous space science, laser light and children's planetarium productions. Many of these and other original productions featuring his work such as SAVING THE NIGHT have been seen in planetariums worldwide. He is currently serving as the director of RAINWATER OBSERVATORY in French Camp, Mississippi which is one of the largest public observatories in the southeastern United States. His artwork can be seen at: www.edwinfaughn.com
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