Presenting Fun and Educational Programs About the Night Sky
We are located in the mountains of East Tennessee with Bortal 4 skies. When clear skies prevail, the brightness of objects in the dark night sky is breathtaking with the Milky Way stretched out overhead during the spring, summer, and fall. While "seeing" conditions can vary greatly, due to various ever changing climatic factors, on a moonless, dark, and clear night you can see star clusters, the Andromeda Galaxy, and other celestial wonders with the unaided eye.
Hidden Mountain Observatory is dedicated to expanding public awareness of the universe and to furthering an appreciation of astronomy and space science education. In private programs for groups, the observatory uses state of the art EAA, or electronically assisted astronomy to reveal the striking wonders of the cosmos.
All visits to the observatory site must be scheduled and reserved in advance. For more information on planning a visit with your group, reservation pricing with group rates, and scheduling, please see the links in the menu at the top of this page. Interested families and groups may schedule their observatory star party, or group function online up to one year in advance.
Have your own equipment, but lack a good, dark sky site to take full advantage of your optics? Gather your friends together and plan a star party. An unforgettable evening of mutual indulgence of a shared passion for the night sky. We have some of the darkest skies and brightest stars east of the Mississippi River. Send a text to (423) 743-9255 for availability information and start planning now for an unforgettable evening with your friends, family, or group!!!
Hidden Mountain Observatory South Facing Horizon & Guest Setup Area
*** IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!!! ***
PRIVATE PROPERTY: NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
Currently, the observatory is located on two acres of gated, private property with security cameras in use and there is no trespassing permitted. Although we are presently only open for private parties, we hope to upgrade our facilities in order to be able to present fun and educational programs to the general public in the future, perfect for adults and children of all ages. Your support is deeply needed and appreciated. Please continue reading further down this page to see how you can lend a hand and help make this dream a reality.
Online resources include an accurate Clear Sky Chart as well as our Astrophotography Gallery. Here, site visitors can monitor local viewing conditions for planning more productive observing sessions, as well as view our past and future photographs taken from the Observatory. Also, you can Learn about Star Parties on our party planning page, Get Pricing and Scheduling Information, and prepare for an amazing night out under the stars!
Click Play to watch an introduction of Hidden Mountain Observatory.
Hidden Mountain Observatory is heretofore a privately funded observatory made possible by our Sponsor, Appalachian GhostWalks. We present fun and educational star parties with tours of the night sky which can be planned as a stand alone event, or can be combined with various other tours and activities. Discover Appalachian GhostWalks ghost, history, UFO, and Bigfoot adventure tours, haunted vacations, and other wonderful party options.
It is our prayer and hope that this work will be a blessing to all, inspired by the beauty of the heaven's above, giving glory to the Creator who made the stars and calls them by name! God's blessings to you and yours!!
Photos of Hidden Mountain Observatory
Completed in December of 2023, the first Observatory telescope control building as well as the observation and runway platforms were finished! Here are some of those pictures. We hope to add a dome and a pier for a more permanent housing for the observatory's main telescope at a later time, as funding and resources become available by way of our private star parties and group functions... Enjoy!
Hidden Mountain Observatory Slideshow
Contact Hidden Mountain Observatory
Want to contact us? Hidden Mountain Observatory would love to hear from you! Don't forget to follow us on Facebook for beautiful Astrophotography as well as exciting updates on our progress and future programs.
