N 39.2° | W 78.9°
1120 ft EL

The original Morning Star Observatory was dismantled in 2017 and is no more. But a new observatory at a new location, with a new name, and a new website, is currently being constructed and should be up and running by Spring 2025. The new website is in the works because this free one is too limited and I got a better deal for a paid site from a different hosting service.

This website will go offline in April 2025. Pages specific to the new observatory are being moved to the new website at albireo-observatory.space.
Morning Star observatory was in operation from 2009 to 2017. It was an 8-ft Exploradome on a 10-ft square building, with an attached warm room.
The new location of the observatory is nestled in the South Branch Valley of the Potomac Highlands of WV. The valley's ridges, which run more or less North to South, are around 2000 to over 2600 feet high to the East and West of the new location. This photo is a view looking West. The observatory will be built out in the field.
This is a view looking East from the spot where the observatory will sit, which has borderline Bortle Class 3 skies according to online conversion charts. Preliminary meter readings taken in the field show an average sky quality of around 21.32 on typical moonless, cloudless evening.

There are darker locations in WV, some are among the darkest on the East Coast, and I'd love to be at one of them, but they are more remote, and I have to keep my family happy, too. So this site is as good a compromise as I could find.
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​The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork... Psalm 19:1
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(Last update to this page - 1/30/2025)