Astronomy
Observatory Details
Public Observing Programs
Our observing programs are free for everyone!
Quick View:
- Solar viewing (SunWatch) is free and held each clear Saturday & Sunday on the dam from 3-3:30 p.m., March-October.
- Night viewing (StarWatch) is held each Saturday in the months of March, April, October, & November, starting at dusk at the observatories. If poor weather, an alternate live presentation will occur in the planetarium theater.
Please check the calendar for the next daytime or nighttime viewing session.
Note: For the evening observing sessions, be sure to dress warmly. Dress for temperatures that are 20° colder than you expect.
The Bays Mountain Observatories are located along Bays Mountain Park Road just up from the dam. Look for the small circular building with a domed top. Please park in the parking lot and walk along the gravel drive to reach the observatory grounds.
Observatory Details
Bays Mountain Park is home to two observatory structures housing a number of telescopes that include lensed refractors of 6″ & 8″, mirrored reflectors of 10″, 12.5″ & 17.5″, and more!
The Bays Mountain Astronomy Club and planetarium staff use all of these telescopes at various times through the year to show the public astronomical sights in nighttime skies.
Bays Mountain Park Clear Sky Chart
Click Here to go to the Clear Sky Chart’s website to learn how to correctly read the data. Clicking on the chart in their website brings up detailed information.
Quick View: you want dark blue for the first four rows.
Dark blue means no cloud cover, very transparent (no haze), excellent seeing (steady skies with no turbulence), and fully dark. For the next two rows, dark blue means no wind and very low humidity. The last row is temperature. Dark blue is super cold (-40°F – -31°F), white is at freezing (23°F – 32°F), and bright orange is moderate (68°F – 77°F).
Astronomy Day
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Join the Bays Mountain Astronomy Club in celebration of The International Day of Astronomy!
Learn about the science and hobby of astronomy. Perfect fun for the entire family!
Highlights: The Bays Mountain Astronomy Club will be providing a number of fascinating displays and hands-on activities. Learn about astronomy, telescopes, careers and education in astronomy, the sun and more! The club will also be hosting daytime viewing of the Sun and nighttime viewing of Venus, the Moon and much more!
All non-planetarium astronomy-related activities are free on Astronomy Day!
Planetarium tickets are $5 per person for ages 6 and above.
Schedule of Events
Afternoon:
1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Displays & Information (free!): Walkway in front of Nature Center (inside Nature Center, if raining.)
3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Solar Viewing (free!): Dam.
Thrill at viewing different layers of the Sun up close and in great detail. Safely see sunspots and prominences. Weather dependent.
Evening:
8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Nighttime Viewing (free!): Observatory.
Spectacular views of celestial delights await you with the Bays Mountain Astronomy Club’s telescopes. Gaze upon Venus, feel like you’re flying low over the Moon and be awe-struck by the distance to galaxies. These views and more will be seen at our Observatory. A live presentation about what is up in the night sky will take place in the Planetarium Theater, if the weather does not cooperate.
Directions
Directions
