WELCOME TO THE DARK SKY OBSERVATORY

We have two events for April!  Join us for the solar eclipse and for the Evening at DSO events!

On the afternoon of Monday, April 8, we will have viewing of the solar eclipse at DSO.  We will have  a partial event with about 85% of the Sun blocked by the Moon.  The event will go from 2:00 pm until 4:30. We will have telescopes with special, safe, solar filters and free solar eclipse glasses. This daytime event is unticketed, free, and drop-in. Maximum eclipse time is about 3:10. This will be a North Carolina Science Festival event.

On the following Saturday, the 13th, we will have our nightime Evening at DSO event, also part of the NC Science Festival.  That will be ticketed, and ticketing will be set up  soon.

See our secure ticketing site for tickets and 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.