Star Chart No. 1846 The first star that appears at dusk has a name. Come up to the mesa and spend a night with her.

Observatory Sedona, Arizona Elev. 6,070 ft 34°52′N · 111°46′W

Vesper

Plate I. Tonight's Conditions

Sat, Jul 12, 2026 · simulated panel
Moon

waning

9% illumination, dark sky
Seeing

0.8″

excellent · Pickering scale 8/10
Clear Sky

92%

NE wind 4 mph · no high clouds
Dome

opens 7:04 PM

sunset 5:39 PM · end of twilight 6:52 PM

Plate II. Observation Sessions

groups of up to 8

First Light

For anyone who has never looked through a telescope. The moon, visible planets, and the three brightest stars of the night, with a guide by your side the whole time.

$857:30 PM · 2 hours

Deep Sky

Nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies through the 20-inch main telescope. Includes a star chart reading and a logbook of the night.

$1459:30 PM · 3 hours

Vigil

The whole night on the platform, from dusk to dawn. Coffee before sunrise, a heated sleeping bag, and the rise of Venus, the morning star, as the grand finale.

$2407 PM · until dawn

Plate III. The Instrument

figure at 1:40 scale

A 20-inch Ritchey-Chrétien reflector, mounted at 6,070 feet, above the thermal inversion layer, far from any city light. The same optical design used by the great professional observatories, at a human scale: you sit down, lean in, and look.

Optical designRitchey-Chrétien f/8
Aperture20 in
Focal length160 in
Limiting visual magnitude15.2
Mountfork equatorial, GoTo
Dome20 ft · motorized shutter
Winter season: the clearest nights of the year

Reserve your night under the desert sky

See August Dates

bookings open August 1 · waitlist by email hello@vesperobservatory.com