WELCOME TO THE DARK SKY OBSERVATORY
Our DSO event will be on Saturday 10/19.
We will be using the 32" telescope as well as some smaller telescopes and binoculars, to look at a number of targets, including open and globular star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and the ringed planet Saturn. The event will begin early to allow the possible viewing of the new, bright Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS which will be low in the western sky.
See our secure ticketing site for more event details.
See the Public Access area of the DSO site for directions and map to DSO. All phone map apps (Google, Waze, Apple Maps) will lead you there if you search for Dark Sky Observatory (in Purlear, NC).
About Dark Sky Observatory
Appalachian State University's Dark Sky Observatory (DSO) is the research facility used by faculty and their students to conduct observational research in astrophysics. It is equipped with four telescopes, each used regularly for CCD imaging and photometry, with spectrographic instrumentation also used at the 32-inch.
Established in 1981, the observatory is located about 20 miles northeast of Boone at an elevation of a kilometer. Far from major cities, its dark skies provide a good setting for digital imaging and spectroscopy done in stellar and solar system research projects. Details about the instrumentation and capabilities of the various telescopes is available at the Facilities link at the top of this page.