Des Moines Astronomical Society
Des Moines Astronomical Society
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Ashton Observatory

Ashton ObservatoryAshton ObservatoryAshton Observatory

The night sky is calling you

Ashton Observatory

Ashton ObservatoryAshton ObservatoryAshton Observatory

The night sky is calling you

Saturday Public Nights - April Through October

Welcome Sky-Watchers!!

Ashton Observatory is open for the 2025 season. Ashton is open every Saturday night, April through October. One-hour classroom programs will be the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month starting at 8:00 p.m. Stargazing will follow each night as sky conditions allow. 


Yes, we will be open each Saturday evening in July for tours, stargazing, and a classroom program on 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Sunset is of course late in July, so stargazing will wait patiently for darkness to settle in. 

Here are the two programs for July:

  • July 12: Venus (J.R. Paulson)
  • July 26: Women of Astronomy (JoAnn Cogil)


Join us each Saturday. Free admission, but free-will notations are gratefully received. All ages welcome. 

Check the season schedule here.

Saturday Public Nights are free admission, and for all ages. Activities get going by 8:00 p.m. or sunset, whichever comes first. Weather and sky conditions permitting, the members of DMAS are looking forward to showing you what's in the night sky. You could call it a star party! 

Exploring the Night Sky over Central Iowa

The Des Moines Astronomical Society is a club of amateur astronomers dedicated to sharing their passion for astronomy with visitors to Ashton Observatory located in dark skies northeast of Des Moines. The Observatory is open to the public each Saturday evening, April through October (starts April 13 this year - 2024). Admission is free, and for all ages. Saturday Public Nights begin at 8:00 p.m. We plan to begin with a classroom program the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, but check the schedule HERE for details. Stargazing through the large telescopes in our domes at Ashton Observatory follow as sky conditions allow. 

Saturday Public Nights

Saturday evenings from April through October offer programs and stargazing for the general public. Free admission.  The classroom action begins at 8:00 p.m.

Public Schedule

Private Groups

Schedule a private visit for your group, club, students, family, to experience the night sky away from urban light pollution. 

Daytime visits are also available.

Find out more

Recent activities

Were you able to see the Aurora Borealis display the night of April 23, 2023 here in Central Iowa? Such events are rare for us this far south, but do sometimes surprise us. Several DMAS members did get some photos as the display got energized around 11:30 p.m. that night. Shown are samples from L. Allen Beers, Brennan Jontz, Greg Woolever, and Norm Van Klompenburg. 

NASA provides opportunity to use remote telescope

If you've ever wished you could capture a photo through a remote telescope ... you can! With the help of NASA and Harvard University, you can request whatever target you want - your photo will be emailed to you in a day or so. It all starts at their micro observatory website, and from there you can also learn how to process the photo to reveal the features that are there. Don't know how to do any of that? That's what this website is intended to provide. 

Online Presentation May 24, 2022

Ken Young presented a program on the recent imaging of the Milky Way's black hole:  https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/jPK8Klry_EIOcJEFAcr38QYGjmjW5ZZoAjigNEjoruMgScM9ZIlNtHeBYVh88twf.0sv4gSK1PggnQ15C 

Passcode:  %e9Bqj9=

Online Presentation January 15, 2022

Gabe Brammer presented his work using gravitational lensing to detect a concealed supernova. To view a video recording of the program, click the link below and enter the passcode (must include the "?" at start and "." at end). 

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/GofF2CrFqUKXu62hrgXLkNh61T-K3DaQzHiQg95EoIk-kRzGJKUh5iIEBGp1pQ-_.A4h_sPluaO7jlCG2 

Access Passcode: ?NMg9CA.

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Mailing address:

The Des Moines Astronomical Society, Inc.

PO Box 111 

Des Moines IA, 50301 


Email address: 

info@dmastronomy.com

The Des Moines Astronomical Society, Inc.

Copyright Des Moines Astronomical Society - All Rights Reserved.

Ashton Observatory is located in Ashton Wildwood County Park, Jasper County, IA

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