Fountain Hills Observatory
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Fountain Hills Observatory sits at roughly 1,850 metres elevation in Fountain Hills, Arizona, in the desert foothills east of Phoenix.
About Fountain Hills Observatory
The observatory was founded in 1998 and became known for the work of astronomer Charles W. Juels, who used it to search the sky for minor planets.
History
Between 1999 and 2003, Charles W. Juels discovered 475 asteroids from this observatory, including asteroid 20898 Fountainhills, named after the town itself. Fountain Hills is also home to a newer project, the International Dark Sky Discovery Center, being developed as a modern public astronomy facility in the same town.
Location & getting there
The observatory is located in Fountain Hills, Arizona, at an elevation of around 1,850 metres, in a desert setting known for clear, dry skies.
Visiting Fountain Hills Observatory
No confirmed public opening hours are available for this specific observatory. Visitors interested in stargazing in Fountain Hills may also want to look into the town's International Dark Sky Discovery Center project for public programming.
See your named star from here
An observatory with a track record of finding hundreds of asteroids has the precision to locate a single named star too. Name a star or look up its exact coordinates in the star catalogue.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check Google Maps for current times before you travel.