Dark Sky New Mexico observatory

Dark Sky New Mexico is a remote telescope hosting facility tucked into the foothills of the Peloncillo Mountains near Animas, New Mexico, built for astrophotographers who want serious equipment under some of the darkest skies in the country. Owners around the world control their telescopes here over the internet rather than travelling in person.

About Dark Sky New Mexico

Dark Sky New Mexico is a hosting site where astrophotographers and researchers can install and remotely operate their own telescopes rather than owning and maintaining a dark-sky site themselves. The facility sits at around 4,406 feet elevation in the Peloncillo Mountains foothills, chosen for its exceptionally dark, stable skies.

Telescopes & research

The site includes 53 telescope piers spread across 20 roll-off-roof observatory buildings, hosting equipment ranging from 5-6 inch refractors up to 20-24 inch reflectors. Measured sky brightness reaches 21.78 magnitudes per square arcsecond, placing it at Bortle Class 1, the darkest rating on the light-pollution scale, with astronomical seeing typically between 1.1 and 1.9 arcseconds and more than 275 usable observing nights a year. A dedicated Valley Telecom fiber line delivers 1 Gb symmetrical internet, letting operators control telescopes and pull down data remotely in real time.

Location & getting there

The facility is located near Animas, New Mexico, in the Peloncillo Mountains foothills of the state's remote southwestern corner, part of the North America region. Its isolation from towns and highways is exactly what gives it such dark, unpolluted skies.

Visiting Dark Sky New Mexico

Dark Sky New Mexico primarily serves telescope owners who host equipment on-site and operate it remotely rather than casual daytime visitors. Anyone interested in hosting a telescope or arranging a visit should get in touch directly through the facility's website before travelling.

See your named star from here

With Bortle 1 skies and dozens of telescopes ready to point anywhere overhead, Dark Sky New Mexico is about as good a place as exists to actually find a named star. Name a star through star-register.eu and we'll give you its exact coordinates, information any of the telescopes hosted here, or anywhere else, can use to track it down. Explore the sky already catalogued at star-register.eu/catalogue.