Southland Astronomical Society Observatory

On the western side of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery in Invercargill, the Southland Astronomical Society Observatory holds the title of New Zealand's southernmost observatory, opening its dome to the public every week for much of the year.

About Southland Astronomical Society Observatory

The observatory is owned by the Southland Museum and Art Gallery and operated by the Southland Astronomical Society, a partnership that keeps the facility focused on public outreach and community astronomy alongside its own observing programme.

Telescopes & research

Its primary instrument is a fork-mounted 30-centimetre (12-inch) Cassegrain telescope built by Russell Beck, which can also be reconfigured into a classical Newtonian by removing its secondary mirror, giving the Society flexibility for different kinds of observing.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits in Invercargill, at the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island, making it the country's southernmost observatory and a natural stop for anyone exploring Southland.

Visiting Southland Astronomical Society Observatory

Public viewing nights run every Wednesday from 7pm to 9pm between April and September, while daylight saving time is not in effect, giving visitors a regular, reliable chance to look through the Society's telescope.

See your named star from here

Every star named through star-register.eu is given exact right ascension and declination, and a public observatory like this one, already set up for weekly viewing nights, is exactly the kind of place that could point its telescope at those coordinates. Explore our star catalogue or choose a naming package to name a star of your own.