River Ridge Observatory

River Ridge Observatory is the home site of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society, tucked into seven acres of moderately dark sky about 37 miles (60 km) northwest of Little Rock near Lake Maumelle.

About River Ridge Observatory

Run by the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society, the site combines a small classroom and clubhouse with an open observing field fitted with pads for members' portable telescopes. Its open southern horizon and Bortle Class 4 skies, measured at roughly 20.6–20.87 magnitudes per square arcsecond, make it noticeably darker than most sites near a state capital.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's Robotic Research Telescope (RRT), a joint project with Arkansas Tech University, is a 12-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain fitted with a CCD camera for imaging and data collection. Society members working from the site have discovered variable stars and helped confirm exoplanets, real research output from a community-run observatory.

Location & getting there

The site sits in a rural stretch of central Arkansas near Lake Maumelle, chosen deliberately for its dark, open horizon away from Little Rock's light dome.

Visiting River Ridge Observatory

The Central Arkansas Astronomical Society holds public star parties at River Ridge and at various state parks from March through November, giving visitors a chance to look through member telescopes and the site's own instruments.

See your named star from here

A named star's coordinates can be tracked down from a dark site like River Ridge just as easily as from a city rooftop. See the naming packages or browse stars already registered in the catalogue.