Can you visit WestRock Observatory? Yes
Free Astronomy Nights at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center: 8 pm planetarium talk then telescopes and WestRock Observatory, weather permitting.
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.
What WestRock Observatory observes
Coca-Cola Space Center
How dark the sky is at WestRock Observatory
WestRock 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.
WestRock Observatory among the observatories of Georgia
Green dots are observatories open to the public, blue dots research or private sites, squares dark sky places; select one for its page. See Georgia observatories for the full list.
The coordinates on this page point to zip 31901 (approximate): 32.473°N, 84.980°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 WestRock Observatory
Nearest dark sky places
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Canyon State Park | Georgia | 3 | 46 km (29 mi) |
| Tuskegee National Forest | Alabama | 4 | 60 km (38 mi) |
| Blue Springs State Park | Alabama | 4 | 103 km (64 mi) |
| Kolomoki Mounds State Park | Georgia | 3 | 111 km (69 mi) |
| Cheaha Mountain State Park | Alabama | 4 | 137 km (85 mi) |
| Weogufka State Forest | Alabama | 4 | 140 km (87 mi) |
Astronomy clubs within 150 km
- Flint River Astronomy ClubGriffin, Georgia, 108 km (67 mi). Meets 2nd Thursday monthly, 7:30 pm
- Middle Georgia Astronomical SocietyMacon, Georgia, 133 km (83 mi). Meets Monthly meeting (see mgas.org)
Star parties near WestRock Observatory
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsouth Stargaze | French Camp, Mississippi | 423 km (263 mi) | Spring |
| Orange Blossom Special | Dade City, Florida | 536 km (333 mi) | Winter new moon |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Georgia 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.
WestRock Observatory record
Every value in the observatories dataset for WestRock Observatory
| ID | 343 |
|---|---|
| Name | WestRock Observatory |
| Address | 701 Front Ave, Coca-Cola Space Science Center, Columbus State University |
| City | Columbus |
| State | GA |
| Zip | 31901 |
| Country | USA |
| Web | https://www.ccssc.org |
| Public | y |
| Notes | Coca-Cola Space Center |
| Lat | 32.47300 |
| Lon | -84.97950 |
| LatLonSpot | zip 31901 (approximate) |
| Status | Active |
| PublicNote | Free Astronomy Nights at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center: 8 pm planetarium talk then telescopes and WestRock Observatory, weather permitting |
| Sources | https://www.ccssc.org/eventarchive/astronomy-night-at-ccssc-24/ |
From the site's observatories dataset (observatories_q426). Distances are computed from the coordinates.