Capilla Peak Observatory

Capilla Peak Observatory sat high in the Manzano Mountains of central New Mexico, about 30 miles southeast of Albuquerque, as a working research telescope for decades before its instrument was retired.

About Capilla Peak Observatory

Built in 1947 and owned and operated by the University of New Mexico (UNM), the observatory housed a 0.6-metre (24-inch) Cassegrain reflecting telescope built by Boller and Chivens, later equipped with a CCD camera for electronic imaging.

History

The observatory served UNM's astronomy programme for close to seventy years before its mirror was sold and removed in 2016, ending its life as an active research telescope.

Location & getting there

The site sits in the Manzano Mountains of central New Mexico, roughly 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Albuquerque, in mountain terrain that once offered dark, high-altitude skies for its telescope.

Visiting Capilla Peak Observatory

With its telescope mirror removed in 2016, Capilla Peak Observatory is no longer an active research facility; there is no public observing programme at the site, so anyone interested in its remains should check current University of New Mexico or U.S. Forest Service guidance for the Manzano Mountains before visiting.

See your named star from here

New Mexico's Manzano Mountains still offer some of the darker skies in the American Southwest for spotting a star named through Star Register. Find its precise coordinates in our star catalogue to look for it from a similarly dark site.