Kanab observatory

On the edge of Kanab, Utah, in one of the darkest sky corridors left in the American Southwest, the nonprofit Stellar Vista Observatory is building a public home for stargazing beneath some of the country's clearest night skies.

About Kanab Observatory

Kanab Observatory is a project of Stellar Vista Observatory, a nonprofit organisation working to bring a public astronomical observatory to the Kanab area. The site benefits from Bortle class 2–3 skies, among the darkest ratings on the light-pollution scale, making it a genuinely dark refuge for both visual observing and astrophotography.

Telescopes & research

Stellar Vista Observatory's mission is educational rather than research-driven: the organisation lends equipment to visitors who don't own their own telescopes and runs a calendar of public programmes, including classroom visits, a STEM festival, a space camp, and regular star parties.

Location & getting there

Kanab sits in southern Utah near the Arizona border, in a region prized by astronomers for its exceptionally dark, unpolluted skies. The observatory's home in this dark-sky corridor is central to its appeal for both casual stargazers and astrophotographers.

Visiting Kanab Observatory

Stellar Vista Observatory has been working toward breaking ground on a permanent public observatory building, alongside its existing programme of star parties and outreach events. Check the Stellar Vista Observatory website for the latest schedule and visiting details before you go.

See your named star from here

Few places in the United States offer skies as dark as Kanab's, making it an excellent spot to look for a star you've named with Star Register. Every named star comes with real coordinates you can search for in our star catalogue or load into a stargazing app under Kanab's famously clear skies.