Cascade Mountain observatory

Cascade Mountain observatory is a robotic astronomical observatory north of Vilonia, in Faulkner County, Arkansas.

About Cascade Mountain observatory

The observatory holds Minor Planet Center code H44 and is operated by Brian Sherrod as part of Arkansas Sky Observatories (ASO), a network that maintains four separate Harvard MPC observatory codes for asteroid and comet astrometry.

Telescopes & research

Cascade Mountain observatory runs a fully automated, robotic 20-inch f/4.5 Newtonian telescope, mounted on a custom German equatorial mount weighing roughly 1,200 pounds. The setup allows unattended operation for asteroid and comet measurement work.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits north of Vilonia in Faulkner County, Arkansas, chosen as part of the wider Arkansas Sky Observatories network for its relatively dark rural skies.

Visiting Cascade Mountain observatory

As a robotic research facility operated as part of a small observatory network, Cascade Mountain observatory is not set up as a general public attraction. Contact Arkansas Sky Observatories directly for any visiting or collaboration enquiries.

See your named star from here

A 1,200-pound equatorial mount built to track asteroids across the sky is a reminder of how precisely a telescope can be pointed at a single set of coordinates — exactly what happens with every star named through Star Register. Name a star or explore the star catalogue.