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

Every Saturday - April Through October

Weekly Saturday Public Nights have begun at Ashton Observatory. Free admission. All ages. Activities get going by 8:00 p.m. Weather and sky conditions permitting, the members of DMAS are looking forward to showing you what's in the night sky. Call it a star party! 


Saturday - May 20, 8:00 p.m.

Join us this Saturday at Ashton Observatory, May 20, 8:00 p.m., for a great program about the summer constellation Leo. Derryl Barr will light up your mind with stories and history that surround how the lion came to be in your sky! Stargazing through Ashton's large telescopes follows as sky conditions allow. 

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. Or if you want to experience all this face-to-face, their kiosk is available at the Grinnell Area Arts Council, Grinnell, Iowa, until the end of May.

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. Admission is free, and for all ages. Saturday Public Nights begin at 8:00 p.m. and sometimes begin with a classroom presentation. Stargazing through the large telescopes in our two 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

We did gather outdoors at Ashton for the recent lunar eclipse on May 15, 2022. It was a beautiful night and a number of visitors stopped by and enjoyed the views. Hope you got a chance to see the eclipse. Here are a few photos from that night taken by a DMAS member.

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 © 2021 Des Moines Astronomical Society - All Rights Reserved.

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

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