The Coolest Star Observatories You Can Visit in the United States (2022)

[usonian]

https://matadornetwork.com/read/us-observatories/

The United States is packed with astronomical observatories — located on high mountain tops or splayed across a desolate desert. Beyond their beautiful terrestrial settings, many of these observatories have fueled the most important astronomical discoveries of the last century.

The world’s largest on-land optical telescope is at the W. M. Keck Observatory atop Hawaii’s nearly 14,000-foot Mauna Kea peak. However, this US observatory is neither open to visitors nor easy to work into a continental road trip. Rather, this road trip begins in California — where the Big Bang Theory was developed — and takes you across several western states, where a dry climate and tall elevations provide the best observing conditions.

The road trip also includes a handful of eastern observatories. These can be part of your cross-country astro road trip, or you can split your travel into a western and eastern tour. However you choose to explore, these are the best US observatories you can visit on a trip across the country.

[msongs]

1. palomar left off the list nt

[eppur_se_muova]

2. "on-land" optical telescope? Oh, they mean "ground-based".

As opposed to "space-based" or "orbital" .

[usonian]

3. I think the site is a travel site, not a science site.

Highly accurate travelogues welcome here!

Photo galleries?

Go for it!

[airplaneman]

4. On my bucket list is:

Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex
Airplane

[usonian]

5. Oh, don't interfere

Put your phone in ✈️ mode!

Have fun. And be safe.

[SCantiGOP]

6. Thanks for this info