Dark Site Observatory
Society members enjoy dark skies at our observatory located eighty miles west of downtown Houston. In this aerial view, you can see how our dark site earned its nickname Padhenge*. The observing field offers 38 concrete pads arranged in a circular pattern to best make use of the horizon. Electricity for powering telescope tracking devices is available within 50 feet of each pad. WiFi is available for remote telescope control or for other computer applications that require the Internet. Several star parties are held at the site each year, in addition to the Annual Picnic. Contact Walt Cooney, Field Trip & Observing Committee Chair, at FTO@astronomyhouston.org, to find out more about these events.
Camping and Facilities
The site features a Male bunkhouse that's available for overnight stays. The bunkhouse is an air-conditioned and heated building that sleeps four. Another bunkhouse has 2 rooms, designated for women and families is available. It, too, is air conditioned and heated. It has 2 beds and 2 cots in each room. A permanent restroom building with hot water and showers is a short walk away from the observation field. Spaces are available for both tent camping and RVs.
* For a recounting of the Founder's Day event held at the Observatory in 2014, see the History section of this website.
Observatory Building with Sliding Roof
The observatory building, with a sliding roof, is home to three telescopes. The south wall folds down as well, to gain full access to the southern horizon. A few members have viewed one star of the Southern Cross from this site. The 16 x 33 main room is cinder block construction with a thick steel roof weighing an estimated 3 tons. A chart room, with its desk, reference charts, and two comfortable cots keeps its roof on for use on those cold nights.
Telescopes
Three telescopes permanently mounted inside the observatory building are available to members upon completion of a training session. Rightmost is the most recent addition to our observatory - the Takahashi TOA-150, generously donated to the Houston Astronomical Society by Candace Williams. This telescope is available for members to use who wish to do astrophotography with a world-class astro-imaging platform. In addition, the telescope will be used to conduct live-streamed outreach events directly from the HAS observatory.
The telescope in the center is a Celestron-C14 mounted on an Astro-Physics AP-900 mount that is used extensively for visual observing. The telescope is being run by TheSkyX Pro for GoTo capability or the hand paddle for star hopping. For most, this is the first telescope in the observatory they are trained on.
The telescope on the left is a recently acquired Paramount ME mount upon which 16" Ritchey–Chrétien has been mounted. This telescope is a GoTo “robotic mount” which must be controlled either by computer control or the electronic hand paddle. This telescope is used to collect data for use in scientific studies.
Dark Site and Observatory Access
The HAS Dark Site is available to all members in good standing who have:
1. Paid their current year’s dues.
2. Completed the online site orientation training.
The HAS Observatory is available to members who have completed an additional training course on usage of the building and have been certified by an observatory trainer that are approved to use the C14. To be eligible to attend an Observatory Training Course, members must be at least 16 years of age, be up-to-date with the Dark Site orientation and be a member in good standing for a minimum of six months. Those interested in attending this training who are under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is also a member. Underage members whose parents are not members may attend the training, but will not be eligible to use the observatory unless supervised by a trained adult user.
Prior to observatory training, users are required to have:
- Knowledge of basic telescope functionality and procedures.
- Working understanding of equatorial-mounted astronomical telescopes.
- Know how to read star charts and locate/identify constellations in the night sky.
- Have thoroughly studied the Observatory and C14 Operating Procedure (to be provided in advance by the trainers).
- It is also strongly recommended, though not required, that users be familiar with using TheSkyX software.
7/26/2024: Training requires at least two nights at the Observatory. The first night will be spent with an instructor walking through the Observatory and C14 operating procedures. It is expected that trainees have already thoroughly studied the operating procedure that will be supplied to them in advance. Trainees will then need to demonstrate proficiency with the Observatory and C14 procedures on a second night to be certified. Depending on the person's familiarity with using German Equatorial mounts, TheSky software, etc, several additional nights may be required before certification is given. Not everyone comes in with the same level of familiarity with these systems. Second and additional nights can be scheduled informally with one of the trainers for whenever the trainee and trainer are available.
Training sessions will be announced on the HAS email list and via other HAS communication modes. To sign up for training, please email HASBooking@astronomyhouston.org. Once signed up, the Observatory and C14 Operating Procedure will be emailed to you.
Training to use the TAK TOA-150 telescope for imaging requires a separate training orientation which is open to those who have completed the Observatory and C14 training and demonstrated proficiency.
All training sessions are at the discretion of the Observatory Director. Contact Observatory Director Chris Ober for more information. Training sessions are on a first come, first served basis and are announced in the HAS email list, website and Facebook group. We are not maintaining waiting lists for training.
Members: Need to take ONLINE SITE ORIENTATION?
- Log in to the website If you have a problem logging in and it’s within the yearly grace period for renewal, email membership@astronomyhouston.org. Otherwise, begin with the next step.
- Pay this year’s dues if you haven’t yet. You can use the Pay Member Dues from the Member Features menu on the right, or mail a check to Houston Astronomical Society Attn: Membership PO Box 131282 Spring, TX 77393
- Return to this page and press the big, blue START YOUR TRAINING button. The button and link appear only if you’re logged into the website as an active member. See you at the HAS Dark Site!
