Observing at AHSP
What to prepare before your night under the stars.
A few things to help you prepare for observing at AHSP. Read through before you go, and print out anything you’d like to have at your telescope.
Location Coordinates
| SKMC Entrance | N 38° 40′ 25” | W 079° 34′ 11” |
| Center of Main Observing Field | N 38° 40′ 36” | W 079° 34′ 02” |
| Center of CCD Imaging Area | N 38° 41′ 10” | W 079° 33′ 45” |
| RV Area / Yurts | N 38° 41′ 00” | W 079° 33′ 26” |
What’s Visible, and When
What’s up in the sky depends entirely on the exact dates of the event, so rather than a snapshot that goes stale the moment the schedule shifts, here are live tools that always show current data for Spruce Knob — bookmark whichever you like and check back as the event gets closer:
- timeanddate.com astronomy for Circleville, WV — sunrise/sunset, moonrise/moonset, and planet visibility for any date
- Moon phase calendar for the area — useful for judging how dark the sky will be
- Your Sky — a customizable star map for any date, time, and location (choosing “Washington DC” is close enough)
- Heavens-Above — satellite and ISS pass predictions for your exact location
- Stellarium Web — a free, full interactive planetarium in your browser
Observing 201 Workshop
Held alongside the evening sky tour. During the daytime session, experienced observers walk through equipment and techniques for finding relatively easy binocular and small-scope, wide-field targets. That evening, we help you actually find them. Bring your star atlas and binoculars to the day session, along with the binocular challenge finder charts.