N 39.2° | W 78.9°
1120 ft EL
The original Morning Star observatory was built in 2009 in Virginia and was an 8' diameter Exploradome with a small warm room attached to the main structure. It housed a Celestron C-11 and an Astro-Tech AT6RC astrograph with one of several CCD cameras. It was dismantled in 2017 when I retired and moved to West Virginia.
The new observatory dome will be the 12-1/2' metal "Lancaster" dome I've had stored for the last decade. It's construction is a lot more involved than that of the smaller one-piece Exploradome I was using.
Our new location for the observatory is at about 1100 feet elevation 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 is a view looking to the West. The observatory will be built out in the field.
This is a view looking East from the observatory site.
This site has borderline Bortle Class 3 skies according to a couple of online conversion charts for converting SQM readings to the Bortle Scale. I've been taking SQM meter readings occasionally in the field and the average sky quality is reading around 21.32 so far. Once things settle down I'll start taking SQM readings on a more regular basis to get a better picture of how the skies vary from season to season.
I'm also unpacking equipment in the lab for testing and updates, and to get all the control software setup on my workstations.
The layout for the pages on this website are best viewed on a desktop PC. The mobile views usually look OK, but sometimes not so much. I've just learned to live with it, being it's a free website provider and all.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this and related pages is believed to be accurate, but no guarantees are expressed or implied. Any information on these pages should be considered "as-is" and the reader is completely responsible for the way it is used.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this and related pages is believed to be accurate, but no guarantees are expressed or implied. Any information on these pages should be considered "as-is" and the reader is completely responsible for the way it is used.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork... Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork... Psalm 19:1
Copyright © 2011-2023 Stephen Statts, All Rights Reserved
(Last update to this page - 9/15/2023)
(Last update to this page - 9/15/2023)
