#Astronomical observatory portable#
#Astronomical observatory professional#

#Astronomical observatory portable#

Since opening in 1935, Griffith Observatory has fulfilled his vision by offering public telescope viewing through the historic Zeiss telescope, historic coelostat (solar telescope), and portable telescopes on the lawn.įree public telescopes are available each evening the Observatory is open and skies are clear with knowledgeable volunteers available to help guide visitors. Griffith left funds in his will to build a public observatory in Los Angeles because he believed in the transformative power of observation. National Air & Space MuseumĬolonel Griffith J. If there are any observatories you think I missed that should be on the list, let me know in the comments! 1. Now I’ll go into greater detail about each one and how/when to visit.

In the table above, observatories which received the same score were ranked by percentage of “Excellent” scores on TripAdvisor – higher Excellence scores won the higher ranking position. Here’s the list of the best observatories in the U.S.: Rank The “Change” column was created comparing this list to my original one – which was put together by a third-party company (and pretty inaccurate, as you can see from how many observatories moved around a lot!). This list of observatories was pulled from TripAdivsor, and the score was calculated using each observatories score, number of reviews, and percentage of “Excellent” reviews. Observator (Fernbank Science Center)īefore jumping into the complete list with all the details, I thought it helpful to share a table showing my ranking of the best observatories across the U.S. This post was originally published in December 2019, and was re-ranked and updated in December 2022. Whether you live near one of these great observatories or are planning a trip, consider spending an evening at one of these – the 15 best observatories across the United States. from the East Coast to the West – from the Pacific Northwest to New England to the Southeast.

But wait: How do we know which observatory to visit? Which are the best observatories in the U.S.? Photo credit: ESO/José Francisco Salgado (In this post, you’ll learn about the best observatories across the U.S.

#Astronomical observatory professional#

Often what we can see at these astronomy centers is better than you’ll ever see on our own, even if you own a telescope.Īdditionally observatories usually include programs where amateur or professional astronomers can teach you about all those amazing things you’re seeing.

Observatories offer awe-inspiring views of objects in our solar system and deep space. While everyone can enjoy the wonders of the night sky from their backyard or a nearby dark sky destination, there’s nothing quite like visiting an observatory.