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.

Our next Evening at DSO event will be Saturday, May 24th!

There will be one session, from 8:30 - 10:30  Ticket holders should arrive between between 8:00 and 8:30 (DSO is about 40 minutes from Boone). The session will begin with a short PowerPoint about the activities and the objects that will be observed.

For this night we have Mars, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies..

See our secure ticketing site for more event details and to get tickets.

See the Public Access page 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).