Crawfordville Observatory

In the quiet farmland of Taliaferro County, Georgia, Crawfordville Observatory sits within Deerlick Astronomy Village, one of the darkest stretches of sky on the entire Eastern Seaboard.

About Crawfordville Observatory

Crawfordville Observatory is part of Deerlick Astronomy Village, a dedicated dark-sky observing site near Crawfordville, Georgia, founded in the mid-2000s by members of the Atlanta Astronomy Club looking for genuinely dark skies within reach of the city.

History

The site was established after Atlanta-area astronomers went searching for darker skies than the city could offer, settling on this corner of Taliaferro County for its low light pollution.

Location & getting there

The site sits at roughly 600 feet elevation in rural Taliaferro County, Georgia, and is open 24 hours a day, year-round. Once on site, no white lights are allowed after dark, and vehicles must use parking lights only on the red-marked lanes to protect everyone's night vision.

Visiting Crawfordville Observatory

Even with its modest elevation, skies here are clear enough to pick out Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons. Because access rules, like the lights-out policy, matter for a good night of observing, it's worth checking ahead before your first visit.

See your named star from here

Once you've named a star, dark-sky sites like this one are ideal for spotting it yourself. Look up its exact coordinates in the star catalogue before you head out.