Sierra Stars Observatory

M51 image by Sierra Stars Observatory

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Click on the links below to read articles published in

Astronomy Technology Today magazine about us!

SSO Cover Story

SSO Review

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Click here to register with the Sierra Stars Observatory

The Sierra Stars Observatory Network (SSON) is an automated astronomy education and research facility of professional telescopes remotely accessible via the Internet. We currently have two observatories in our network:

A 0.61-meter f/10 OMI Classical Cassegrain research-grade telescope and high-precision CCD imaging instruments enclosed in a dome building located at a dark sky site on the east side of the Sierra Mountains in Alpine County California.
The University of Iowa's OMI 37cm f/14 Rigel Telescope located at the Winer Observatory in Sonoita, Arizona.

More professional observatories around the world will be added to the Sierra Stars Observatory Network in the 2009 and beyond.

SSON Announcements

July 1

Our SSO telescope in California has been in operation since last Sunday (June 28) after the repair of the encoder. Some people were not aware that we were back up.

Also this is a reminder that the Winer Observatory where the Rigel telescope is housed is closed until September for the Southwest US summer monsoon season.

Rich Williams

Special Trial Rate for first-time users!

We are promoting a special one-time rate for new customers using the Sierra Stars Observatory. For $50 you get 50 minutes (83 credits) of imaging time. That's more than a 40 percent discount below our base price.

CURRENT MOON

lunar phases

Registered users can access and manage their accounts, buy imaging time, schedule images for specific dates, download images, check the status of jobs scheduled or completed, and so on. Professors, teachers, and program managers can use our Account Management system to delegate and manage imaging time among students, researchers, and other affiliates. New clients must first register with Sierra Stars Observatory to open a new account.

We offer a straightforward plan for our clients. You are not charged for the time you are logged in -- you only pay for the actual exposure time of the images you schedule. You can spend all the time you need beforehand to plan the exact time you need for your observing runs. For more information about what we offer, see our Programs section.