Patterson Observatory: Free Observation Night

Public Night is held once a month on the Thursday nearest first quarter moon. Observing starts a half hour after sunset. The event is weather dependent and is canceled in the event of clouds or inclement weather. Admission is free, but space is limited. Guests wishing to attend this in-person event must register. The University South Foundation, Inc. owns and maintains the Patterson Observatory located on University of Arizona Sierra Vista Campus. The Huachuca Astronomy Club (HAC) volunteers operates the observatory and hosts Public Viewing Nights. These “Public Nights” are free and family friendly and start about a half hour after sunset. They are weather dependent (canceled during inclement weather) and are not scheduled during the monsoon months of July and August. Space is limited and guests must register. See the form below. The observatory is also available, by appointment, to serve youth, school and community organizations. The Patterson Observatory is a NASA Space Place and a member of the NASA Night Sky Network. It has a 16 foot dome, housing a Ritchey-Chretien telescope of 20” aperture. This telescope, with its sophisticated detectors, is capable of observing objects one million times fainter that the human eye can detect. ​