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. A 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.

The new observatory is a 12-1/2' diameter galvalume metal dome on a round building. It has a concrete filled block pier base supporting a 10" diameter steel pier. The main telescope will be a Celestron C-11 mounted side-by-side with an Astro-Tech AT6RC astrograph on an Orion HDX110 EQ-G (Skywatcher EQ-8) mount. The plan is to automate its operation, and create a public outreach program.
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.
Work began on the new observatory in late summer 2023, and is nearing completion in the spring of 2025. Construction details are on the "Building The New Observatory" web page.
This galvalume dome was manufactured by Lancaster Domes back sometime around the late '90's. I purchased it on AstroMart and have had it stored for the last decade, waiting to find a good location to build on. Its construction is much more involved than the smaller one-piece Exploradome.
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.
I'm also unpacking equipment in the lab for updates and testing, and to start getting all the control software setup on my new 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.
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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 - 1/13/2025)