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Nicholas R. Anderson Observatory

.5mtelescope
The 0.5m Corrected Dall-Kirkham Optical Telescope at the Anderson Observatory.

Open Houses

"Public Open Houses at the observatory are conducted by the Astronomy Club of Virginia Tech. See their website for the latest information on open houses (https://www.vtastroclub.org/). Typically, open houses are on some Friday evenings during Fall and Spring Semesters, weather permitting. But do not assume there will be an open house on a Friday evening, even if it is clear. First, check the Astronomy Club's website before going to the observatory."

evscope
eVscope
orion
Orion XT10g

Location and Directions

The Observatory is located 10 minutes from campus off of Prices Fork Road. You can get an exact location by entering "Nicholas R. Anderson Observatory" into "Google Maps."

location
observatory

To get to the Anderson Observatory from within Blacksburg:

  1. Travel west on Prices Fork Road, past the 460 bypass, towards Radford. 
  2. Pass the Foxridge/Hethwood area, Hethwood Shopping Center, Fire Station, Kipps Elementary School, and Blacksburg Middle School (in that order).
  3. At the next traffic light turn right onto Old Mill Road. (On the left at that light is the entrance to Blacksburg High School.)
  4. Travel about 1/2 mile on Old Mill Road.
  5. Come to a gate on the right, beyond which The Observatory can be seen. It looks like a short silo. 
  6. Please close the gate after driving through --- the area surrounding the Observatory is a Tech livestock pasture.

Observing Forecast

Clear Sky Weather Chart for the observatory

The darker the square, the better the viewing conditions. Click the image for more instructions on how to read the chart.