The next General Meeting of the Astronomical Society will be held Monday September 12th at 630pm(note earlier start time) at Naylor Observatory - weather permitting. See Meetings page for more information.

Our next public observing session is planned for Sunday, September 18th. We will only be able to view objects through our telescopes if the skies are clear, so if it is cloudy or rainy, we will cancel the session. Please check this website, the Naylor Observatory Facebook page, or call the observatory at 717-938-6041 before coming out to the session to make sure the weather will allow us to hold it. When arriving on the observatory grounds, please be sure to leave your headlights on until you are parked for the safety of everyone in the parking area.


ASH's Public Observing Sessions

ASH's public observing sessions have returned in March 2022! Please see the public observing page 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 is planned to be held again in Fall 2022 - check back for start date.

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

Mailing address for the Astornomical Society of Harrisburg

Astronomical Society of Harrisburg

P.O. Box 160

Lewisberry, PA 17339