The C.U.A.S. Observatory is owned and operated by the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society, Inc., an affiliate group of the Champaign Park District, for the benefit of its members. The Society is governed by a set of by-laws that were adopted in 1992.

• No food or beverages are allowed inside the observatory.
• 10 people maximum are allowed inside the observatory at any time.
• Please clean up after an observing session, both inside and outside the building.
• Supervise children at all times, both inside and outside the building.
• Do not attempt, under any conditions, to adjust any controls, bolts, or any other adjustments on the telescope tube or mounting without first checking with one of the Board of Directors. Any approved changes must be noted in the observatory logbook. See the current CUAS newsletter for current phone numbers.
• The observatory may only be used when a qualified keyholder is present. That person is responsible for all actions.
• Report any problems immediately to the appointed Observatory Director or to one of the Board of Directors.
• C.U.A.S., Inc. assumes no responsibility for damage to personal equipment (see "General Operating Procedures") or for personal injury while on the observatory grounds.

• CUAS members desiring to have a key and unlimited access to the observatory must follow these guidelines, as approved by the membership:
1. must be a member of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society, Inc. for no less than six months.
2. must be current in annual dues payments and the keyholder fee.
3. will not loan their key to anyone nor duplicate it for any reason.
4. will have demonstrated knowledge of observatory procedures and operations after an orientation session to be held on-site.
5. will agree to perform occasional services on-site in the form of maintenance and managing public observing sessions.
• Keyholders may be asked to forfeit their key if:
1. dues and/or keyholder fee is delinquent.
2. he or she engages in malicious acts on-site.
3. a serious breach of the operating procedures occurs.

• The observatory dome may be rotated by turning the large steering wheel on the south wall, west of the telescope mounting. If the motion becomes difficult, the come-along is mounted on the same wall. Report any problems to the Board of Directors.
• Use caution when slewing the telescope to the south as the telescope tube may hit the mount.
• Do not attempt to align any of the telescope optics in an attempt to correct what may appear to be a collimation problem. Report any incidence of poor images or mechanical problems.
• Always sign-in in the observatory logbook.
• Who (include all in attendance)
• Opening and closing times
• What you observed—be brief
• Any problems that you discovered
• Any unusual events during your stay
• Do not use the handles mounted on the end of the mirror cell to slew the telescope.
• Do not spray insect repellant of any kind inside the building. This should be done outside before entering.
• Items you may want to bring with you to observe:
• flashlight with a red cover (no bright spotlights!)
• star charts, etc.
• mosquito spray
• eyepieces (currently the society has a stocked eyepiece case, kept in the drawer)
• comfortable shoes and warm clothing
• recall that there is no electricity nor any bathrooms at the site
• You may use your own telescope accessories (e.g. eyepieces, camera adapters, diagonals, etc.) only after it has been approved by a certified keyholder, to assure correct operation and to avoid any damage to the telescope. Naturally, any observer wanting to bring their own instrument(s) to the site to be used outside the observatory dome is encouraged to do so.

1. Attempt to park your vehicle with headlights facing to the south.   When entering grounds, turn off your headlights as soon as you feel comfortable. Safety is of first importance!
2. Unlock door carefully. If the door is tight, gently push in while turning the key clockwise. The door should stay open if you push it at right angles to the door frame.
3. Check the message board for any important messages relating to the operation of the observatory.
4. It is recommended that you keep your key with you, but you can bolt the door by using the hex key on the string, tied on the latch.   The key for the adjacent storage building will also be located on the latch. Mowers and other maintenance equipment are stored here. Observers should not have reason to enter this building. Remove the extension ladder and place on the ground where no one will trip over it.
5. Gently elevate the first section of floor. Be careful that it doesn't fall on you. Do not assume that it will remain vertical! The support bar should be located just to the left of the first trap door, to your right.
6. Raise all three sections to gain access and then gently replace. They can be bolted to the first door. This is the usual procedure for open houses when the doors are left open. CUAS members have the option of leaving all the floor sections down and merely hopping up to the observing deck.
7. Use a flashlight to check the logbook (in the plastic file holder) to review the last few entries. Any problems encountered in previous sessions should be noted.
8. Loosen the tie-down that secure the shutter handles to one of the vents. Put the tie-down on the desk.
9. Open the dome shutters:
1. Pull step ladder up to shutters
2. Unlock the hooks that lock the shutters by unscrewing the nuts. You do not need to take the nuts off completely
3. Pull on the ropes that are furthest from the deck. Be sure the ropes are not tangled.
4. Now set the handle that hangs the lowest upon the ledge near the shutter. Do not put it on the rail as this could possibly damage the rotation device.
10. Carefully remove tarp from telescope. This will require the step ladder. Store the tarp out of the way beneath the desk.
11. Turn the telescope slightly to the west and remove the dust covers from both scopes and store in the bottom drawer of the desk. (CAUTION: Do not point the telescope below the horizontal at any time!)
12. Remove covers from the eyepiece drawtubes.
13. Eyepieces are in the top left drawer of the desk. Be VERY careful installing them.
14. Sign-in in the observatory logbook.

1. Return all eyepieces and other accessories to the case and put the case back in the desk.
2. Replace eyepiece drawtube covers.
3. Replace both dust covers on the ends of the telescopes.
4. Manually slew the telescope until it is pointing horizontal and towards the southern horizon.
5. Make sure the long side of the tarp is parallel with the telescope tube.
6. Finish any logbook entries and replace. Do not leave the logbook or any other equipment out on the desk!
7. Rotate the dome until the slit is facing east, away from the road.
8. Close shutters and lock using the hooks. Is important to be sure the shutters are completely shut! Use the tie-down to hook the left shutter handle to the vent that faces northeast. This will insure the shutters don't open.
9. Carefully replace the trap doors to exit if you raised them. The trap doors should be left down.
10. Replace the ladder and anything else you have removed from the observatory.
11. Make sure that the door locks behind you! Give it a tug to make sure it's locked.