Black Moshannon Observatory

Black Moshannon Observatory once scanned the skies above central Pennsylvania from a clearing inside Black Moshannon State Park, run by Pennsylvania State University from 1972 until its closure in the mid-1990s.

About Black Moshannon Observatory

Black Moshannon Observatory (BMO) was an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Pennsylvania State University. It stood in Black Moshannon State Park, about 17 kilometres (11 miles) northwest of State College, Pennsylvania.

History

Established in 1972, BMO served Penn State's astronomy programme for over two decades before closing sometime after August 1995. The observatory building is no longer used for astronomical research.

Location & getting there

The former observatory site lies inside Black Moshannon State Park in central Pennsylvania, an area of forest and wetland popular for hiking, though the observatory itself is defunct.

Visiting Black Moshannon Observatory

The Penn State observatory itself is closed and not open to the public. Black Moshannon State Park remains open, however, and periodically hosts its own stargazing evenings, so it's worth checking Pennsylvania's state park events calendar if you'd like to look at the sky from the same dark corner of the state.

See your named star from here

Even though BMO no longer operates, the dark skies of Black Moshannon State Park are still a fine place to look up. After you name a star, find its coordinates in the catalogue and check the observatories list for an active facility nearby that can point a telescope at it for you.