Dark Sky Observatory

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Dark Sky Observatory The Dark Sky Observatory is the research, instruction and outreach facility for the astronomy program at Appalachian State University.

09/19/2026

Our Evening at DSO event tonight, Saturday, September 19th, is CANCELED

All of our weather and cloud forecasters agree that it will be cloudy with a chance of rain and thunderstorms. Fog may appear later in the evening. These are dangerous conditions for being at DSO and driving to and from there.

Our next Evening at DSO event will probably be October 17.

09/18/2026

We still have some tickets available for tomorrow night's event, on International Observe the Moon Day! We will also look at Saturn!
Tickets and more info at:

09/13/2026

Our next Evening at DSO event will be Saturday, September 19th!

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

That night is International Observe the Moon night, so that will be one main target! We will look at the first quarter Moon, double stars, star clusters, and galaxies. Toward the end we will look at the rising, ringed planet, Saturn (and some of its moons!).

Tickets and further details are available at our secure ticketing site, linked below:

Due to bad weather being expected for tomorrow, we have rescheduled the Night Under the Stars event to the 26th. Tickets...
09/11/2026

Due to bad weather being expected for tomorrow, we have rescheduled the Night Under the Stars event to the 26th. Tickets are still available.

We've extended the ticketing period until the 9th. Please consider donating and having a great evening at DSO!
09/04/2026

We've extended the ticketing period until the 9th. Please consider donating and having a great evening at DSO!

08/22/2026

There may be scattered showers that will end before the event.Thin or scattered clouds will be okay since we will at least have a nice moon to view! Ticket holders should arrive between 8:00 and 8:30. The event is SOLD OUT.

07/11/2026

Tonight's Evening at DSO event has been canceled due to clouds and likely thunderstorms overnight. The August event has not yet been scheduled.

07/02/2026

Our next Evening at DSO event will be on Saturday, July 11th!
There will be one session, from 9:00 - 11:00. Ticket holders should arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 (DSO is about 40 minutes from Boone). The session will begin with a short PowerPoint about the night’s activities and the objects that will be observed.
It will be a dark night, so you may want to bring a flashlight. We will have red cellophane and rubber bands to attach it to your flashlight or cell phone, to preserve everyone's night vision.
We will look at "deep sky" objects: double stars, star clusters, and galaxies. We will be able to observe the planets Venus and Jupiter.
For tickets and additional details, go to our secure ticketing site linked below.

Address

Observatory Road
Wilkes County, NC

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