Can you visit Henry Barber Research Observatory? No regular public access
UIS research observatory; public star parties are held at the UIS Campus Observatory atop Brookens Library (free, Sep-Oct Fridays and monthly in spring).
For telescope views near Henry Barber Research Observatory, see the observatories open to the public and astronomy clubs nearby; clubs hold free public star parties.
Telescopes at Henry Barber Research Observatory
20-inch, 16-inch Cassegrain telescopes.
How dark the sky is at Henry Barber Research Observatory
Henry Barber Research 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.
Henry Barber Research Observatory among the observatories of Illinois
Green dots are observatories open to the public, blue dots research or private sites, squares dark sky places; select one for its page. See Illinois observatories for the full list.
The coordinates on this page point to city Springfield (approximate): 39.800°N, 89.650°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 Henry Barber Research Observatory
Nearest dark sky places
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area | Illinois | 3 | 50 km (31 mi) |
| Anderson Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Illinois | 3 | 64 km (40 mi) |
| Sand Ridge State Forest | Illinois | 4 | 70 km (44 mi) |
| Hidden Springs State Forest | Illinois | 4 | 98 km (61 mi) |
| Siloam Springs State Park | Illinois | 3 | 109 km (68 mi) |
| Weinberg-King State Fish and Wildlife Area | Illinois | 3 | 117 km (73 mi) |
Other observatories open to the public within 150 km
- University of Illinois ObservatoryUrbana, Illinois, 128 km (80 mi). Free open house 2nd Friday monthly (next Friday if cloudy) run by the Urbana Illinois Astronomical Society; NPS grant for rehabilitation 2026
Astronomy clubs within 150 km
- Sangamon Astronomical SocietySpringfield, Illinois, 6 km (4 mi)
- Twin City Amateur AstronomersNormal, Illinois, 97 km (60 mi)
- Peoria Astronomical SocietyPeoria, Illinois, 105 km (65 mi). Meets 1st Wednesday monthly, 7 pm
- River Bend Astronomy ClubHighland, Illinois, 118 km (73 mi). Meets Meetings at Salem UCC, 1117 W North St
- Champaign-Urbana Astronomical SocietyTolono, Illinois, 120 km (75 mi). Meets 2nd Thursday monthly (see cuas.org for venue)
Star parties near Henry Barber Research Observatory
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bootleg Fall Star Party | Harmon, Illinois | 205 km (127 mi) | Autumn new moon |
| Bootleg Spring Star Party | Harmon, Illinois | 205 km (127 mi) | Spring new moon |
| Great Lakes Star Gaze | Gladwin, Michigan | 631 km (392 mi) | September new moon |
| Midsouth Stargaze | French Camp, Mississippi | 723 km (449 mi) | Spring |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Illinois 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.
Henry Barber Research Observatory record
Every value in the observatories dataset for Henry Barber Research Observatory
| ID | 209 |
|---|---|
| Name | Henry Barber Research Observatory |
| City | Springfield |
| State | IL |
| Zip | 62793-9243 |
| Country | USA |
| Web | https://sites.google.com/a/uis.edu/uis-barber-research-observatory |
| Public | n |
| Telescope | 20-inch, 16-inch Cassegrain telescopes |
| Lat | 39.80000 |
| Lon | -89.64950 |
| LatLonSpot | city Springfield (approximate) |
| Status | Active |
| PublicNote | UIS research observatory; public star parties are held at the UIS Campus Observatory atop Brookens Library (free, Sep-Oct Fridays and monthly in spring) |
| Sources | https://sites.google.com/a/uis.edu/uis-barber-research-observatory; https://www.uis.edu/es/node/33412068 |
From the site's observatories dataset (observatories_q426). Distances are computed from the coordinates.