Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO).

Research observatory · Vernonia, Oregon

Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)

Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) is a research observatory in Vernonia, Oregon.

Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) in brief

Open to the public
No regular public access
Bortle class
Not yet rated

Can you visit Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)? No regular public access

Private research observatory, no public access.

For telescope views near Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO), see the observatories open to the public and astronomy clubs nearby; clubs hold free public star parties.

Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)
Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)

What Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) observes

The list does not describe the instruments at Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) yet.

How dark the sky is at Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)

Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) has no Bortle rating in the list yet. The scale below shows what each class looks like.

1 mag 8.0 21.99+ 2 mag 7.5 21.89+ 3 mag 7.0 21.69+ 4 mag 6.5 20.49+ 5 mag 6.0 19.50+ 6 mag 5.5 18.94+ 7 mag 5.0 18.38+ 8 mag 4.5 18.00+ 9 mag 4.0
The Bortle scale. Each panel shows the class number, the faintest star the naked eye reaches at the zenith, and the darkest-edge sky brightness reading of that class in mag/arcsec².

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.

Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) among the observatories of Oregon

Alvord Desert Arizona Beach State Recreation Site Bates State Park Cape Blanco State Park Cape Lookout State Park Cape Sebastian State Scenic Corridor Carl G. Washburne State Park Cascadia County Park Catherine Creek State Park Chandler State Wayside Collier Memorial State Park Cottonwood Canyon State Park Crater Lake National Park Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area Fort Rock State Natural Area Golden & Silver Falls State Natural Area Goose Lake State Recreation Area Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge Hug Point State Recreation Site Humbug Mountain State Park Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Minam State Recreation Area Ochoco National Forest Prineville Reservoir State Park Saddle Mountain State Natural Area Sitka Sedge State Natural Area Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area Stonefield Beach State Recreation Site Tokatee Klootchman State Natural Site Umpqua National Forest Unity Lake State Recreation Site Wallowa Lake State Park Wallowa-Whitman National Forest White River Falls State Park Willamette National Forest Deschutes National Forest Fremont-Winema National Forest Malheur National Forest Mt. Hood National Forest Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Siuslaw National Forest Umatilla National Forest Tillamook State Forest Oregon Outback Dark Sky Sanctuary Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve Dark Sky Park Sisters, Oregon Dark Sky Community Antelope, Oregon Dark Sky Community Pine Mountain Observatory Haggart Observatory Oregon Observatory at Sunriver Oregon Star Party (star party) Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) Vernonia, Oregon Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) Vernonia, Oregon
Dark sky place Research or private observatory Observatory open to the public Star party

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

The coordinates on this page point to Vernonia Peak Observatory: 45.800°N, 123.210°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 Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)

Nearest dark sky places

PlaceWhereBortleDistance
Tillamook State ForestOregon336 km (22 mi)
Saddle Mountain State Natural AreaOregon241 km (26 mi)
Hug Point State Recreation SiteOregon258 km (36 mi)
Cape Lookout State ParkOregon277 km (48 mi)
Sitka Sedge State Natural AreaOregon283 km (52 mi)
Gifford Pinchot National ForestWashington297 km (60 mi)

Other observatories open to the public within 150 km

  • Haggart ObservatoryOregon City, Oregon, 72 km (44 mi). Free public viewings several times a year hosted by Rose City Astronomers, first-come first-served
  • Herold ObservatoryOnalaska, Washington, 94 km (59 mi). School district observatory with 24-inch Turner Telescope; open public nights announced locally

Astronomy clubs within 150 km

Star parties near Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)

Star partyNearDistanceUsual timing
Oregon Star PartyPrineville, Oregon295 km (183 mi)August new moon
Island Star PartyDuncan, British Columbia334 km (207 mi)August
Table Mountain Star PartyOroville, Washington448 km (278 mi)Summer new moon
Mount Kobau Star PartyOsoyoos, British Columbia454 km (282 mi)Summer new moon

Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Oregon 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.

Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO) record

Every value in the observatories dataset for Vernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)
ID223
NameVernonia Peak Observatory (VPO)
Address55371 McDonald Rd.
CityVernonia
StateOR
Zip97064
CountryUSA
Publicn
Lat45.79977
Lon-123.21036
LatLonSpotVernonia Peak Observatory
StatusActive
StatusNoteUnverified; private research facility of Northwest Astronomy Group, old club URL not confirmed
PublicNotePrivate research observatory, no public access
Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernonia_Peak_Observatory

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