Univ. of Maryland Observatory

Can you visit Univ. of Maryland Observatory? No regular public access

Public open houses suspended; observatory used for UMD classes only.

For telescope views near Univ. of Maryland Observatory, see the observatories open to the public and astronomy clubs nearby; clubs hold free public star parties.

Telescopes at Univ. of Maryland Observatory

20-inch, 14-inch reflectors; 8-inch, 7-inch refractors.

How dark the sky is at Univ. of Maryland Observatory

Univ. of Maryland 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.

Univ. of Maryland Observatory among the observatories of Maryland

Green dots are observatories open to the public, blue dots research or private sites, squares dark sky places; select one for its page. See Maryland observatories for the full list.

The coordinates on this page point to zip 20742 (approximate): 38.990°N, 76.946°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 Univ. of Maryland Observatory

Nearest dark sky places

Other observatories open to the public within 150 km

• George Mason ObservatoryFairfax, Virginia, 36 km (23 mi). Free public tours Wed, Thu, Sat late Aug-late Apr; Evenings Under the Stars talks with telescope tours during the academic year
• Crosby Ramsey Memorial ObservatoryBaltimore, Maryland, 41 km (26 mi). Rooftop observatory at Maryland Science Center; daytime sungazing and Friday evening stargazing events (see calendar)
• Maryland Space Grant ObservatoryBaltimore, Maryland, 48 km (30 mi). Free open houses on scheduled Friday evenings with the Morris W. Offit telescope (check observatory updates)
• Morgan County ObservatoryBerkeley Springs, West Virginia, 124 km (77 mi). Morgan County Observatory Foundation public stargazing and talks; new telescope first-light open house Mar 2026
• Naylor ObservatoryLewisberry, Pennsylvania, 129 km (80 mi). Astronomical Society of Harrisburg public observing nights at Naylor Observatory on scheduled weekend evenings (see ASH calendar)
• Mt. Cuba Astronomical ObservatoryWilmington, Delaware, 145 km (90 mi). Monday 8 pm Public Nights (lecture plus viewing, max 28, $10 adults) and select Friday Family Nights; reservations required

Astronomy clubs within 150 km

• Astronomical Society of GreenbeltGreenbelt, Maryland, 6 km (4 mi). Meets Monthly, 7:30 pm
• National Capital AstronomersBethesda, Maryland, 18 km (11 mi). Meets Monthly Sep-Jun at University of Maryland Observatory, College Park
• Howard Astronomical LeagueColumbia, Maryland, 26 km (16 mi). Meets Monthly Thursday, 7 pm
• Northern Virginia Astronomy ClubFairfax, Virginia, 36 km (23 mi). Meets Usually 2nd Sunday monthly, 7:30 pm
• Southern Maryland Astronomical SocietyMarbury, Maryland, 51 km (32 mi). Meets Observing sessions on Saturdays nearest third quarter and new moon at Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center

Star parties near Univ. of Maryland Observatory

Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Maryland 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.

Univ. of Maryland Observatory record

From the site's observatories dataset (observatories_q426). Distances are computed from the coordinates.