Can you visit UNA Planetarium and Observatory? Yes
Planetarium public nights ($3, UNA students free) with telescope viewing after when clear.
A public night at an observatory usually starts at dusk with a short talk, then a line at the eyepiece of the main telescope for the Moon, a planet or a bright cluster, with volunteers' smaller telescopes set up outside. Dress for the night air even in summer: domes are not heated, so the telescope stays at outside temperature. Many nights sell out or cancel for clouds, so check the observatory's site on the day.
Telescopes at UNA Planetarium and Observatory
14-inch telescope.
How dark the sky is at UNA Planetarium and Observatory
UNA Planetarium and Observatory has no Bortle rating in the list yet. The scale below shows what each class looks like.
Sky brightness and class come from the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness (Falchi et al. 2016, CC BY-NC 4.0), with natural skyglow added, at the coordinates below. Research telescopes are often sited on mountains above the haze, so the real sky can be darker than the map suggests.
UNA Planetarium and Observatory among the observatories of Alabama
Green dots are observatories open to the public, blue dots research or private sites, squares dark sky places; select one for its page. See Alabama observatories for the full list.
The coordinates on this page point to zip 35632 (approximate): 34.870°N, 87.707°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Mountain observatory roads are often gated after dark; go only on a scheduled public night.
Dark sky places, observatories and clubs near UNA Planetarium and Observatory
Nearest dark sky places
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tishomingo State Park | Mississippi | 4 | 55 km (34 mi) |
| William B. Bankhead National Forest | Alabama | 3 | 75 km (47 mi) |
| Mousetail Landing State Park | Tennessee | 4 | 91 km (57 mi) |
| Big Hill Pond State Park | Tennessee | 3 | 95 km (59 mi) |
| Monte Sano State Park | Alabama | 5 | 110 km (68 mi) |
| Holly Springs National Forest | Mississippi | 4 | 131 km (81 mi) |
Astronomy clubs within 150 km
- Shoals Astronomy ClubFlorence, Alabama, 6 km (4 mi). Meets Friday evenings, 7-9 pm
- Von Braun Astronomical SocietyHuntsville, Alabama, 105 km (65 mi)
Star parties near UNA Planetarium and Observatory
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsouth Stargaze | French Camp, Mississippi | 234 km (145 mi) | Spring |
| Bootleg Spring Star Party | Harmon, Illinois | 769 km (478 mi) | Spring new moon |
| Bootleg Fall Star Party | Harmon, Illinois | 769 km (478 mi) | Autumn new moon |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Alabama puts the dark sky places, observatories, clubs, star parties, planetariums and science centers of the state on one map, with the best night out worked out.
UNA Planetarium and Observatory record
Every value in the observatories dataset for UNA Planetarium and Observatory
| ID | 205 |
|---|---|
| Name | UNA Planetarium and Observatory |
| Address | University of North Alabama |
| City | Florence |
| State | AL |
| Zip | 35632 |
| Country | USA |
| Web | https://una.edu/planetarium |
| Public | y |
| Telescope | 14-inch telescope |
| Lat | 34.87000 |
| Lon | -87.70690 |
| LatLonSpot | zip 35632 (approximate) |
| Status | Active |
| PublicNote | Planetarium public nights ($3, UNA students free) with telescope viewing after when clear |
| Sources | https://www.visitflorenceal.com/events/planetarium-public-night; https://alabamanewscenter.com/?p=377598 |
From the site's observatories dataset (observatories_q426). Distances are computed from the coordinates.