Public Observing Sessions cancelled for 2021 - please see the Public Observing page for more information

Next ASH General Club Meeting planned for 9/20 at Naylor Observatory

See the meetings page for more information.

ASH's Public Observing Sessions

ASH's public observing sessions are planned to resume in 2022 - visit our Public Observing Page early in 2022 for dates and times. The Public Observing sessions are held at ASH's Naylor Observatory located at 670 Observatory Drive in Lewisberry PA. The public is able to view celestial objects through telescopes located in multiple observatory buildings. Also be sure to see our meteor collection located in the Asper Building! We can only hold the events when the sky is clear enough to use the telescopes, so if it is cloudy or raining we will have to cancel the session. If we are forced to cancel a session, we will announce it on this website, on the Naylor Observatory Facebook page, or you can call the observatory at 717-938-6041 30 minutes before sunset on the day of the session to see if it is cancelled.

Public Observing

Cherry Springs Star Party

Registration is planned to open in Spring 2022 for the 2022 Cherry Springs Star Party to take place June 2nd to June 5th 2022 at Cherry Springs State Park - Cherrysprings.org

Introductory Observational Astronomy Course will be planned to resume in Spring 2022.

Due to the rising COVID numbers the Fall 2021 Astronomy Class has been canceled

Our six-week Introductory Observational Astronomy course will be held Wednesdays beginning the first weeks of April and September. Classes will be at the observatory from 7 to 9 pm, followed by informal observing with telescopes, weather permitting. Cost is $50 and includes a copy of Peterson’s Field Guide for Stars & Planets; an Edmund Scientific Star & Planet Locator planisphere and an ESSCO Star Chart. The course is limited to those 14 years and older. Please pass the word to your friends. Send a check to “ASH” c/o Bob Young, 224 Herr St., Harrisburg PA 17102. For more info contact Bob at youngbob2@aol.com.

Membership - Join ASH

ASH Membership Benefits Include:

  • Access to the Naylor Observatory and training on club telescopes

  • Members only observation times

  • Monthly Stardust Newsletter

  • Use of the ASH Library and loaner telescopes / astronomy gear

  • Access to dark sky sites

We invite you and your family to visit Naylor Observatory on selected evenings this year. Come and observe the beauty of the moon, planets, double stars, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies with your own eyes through our large telescopes. Admission is free.

Contact the Astronomical Society of Harrisburg