Our observatory boasts very dark, Bortle 1 skies. The lack of major cities within 100 miles means there is very little light pollution.

The elevation of 7580 ft (2310 meters) above sea level provides pristine seeing conditions. Compared to the sea level, there is one less mile of atmosphere between your telescope and your deep-sky target.
Our lower latitude of 34 degrees north means nights are long even during the summer months.

Even with a late summer monsoon season and a little snow in winter, indicative of higher ground, Pie Town has very stable weather patterns. Low humidity reduces haze and cloud cover, giving crisp, clear night skies most of the year.Nights here are overwhelmingly clear (averaging 275+ clear nights per year) 

Mugendai is located inside the Top of the World gated subdivision, which has covenants restricting the types of outdoor lighting allowed and ensuring the darkest possible skies. It’s a growing hub of astronomy enthusiasts drawn to the proposed US Highway 60 Dark Sky Corridor.

A network engineer with over a decade of experience designed, built, and stress-tested our observatory’s network, ensuring that it operates seamlessly and robustly around the clock.

Whether you are just getting started with remote imaging or are already an advanced astrophotographer, all of your questions are answered by a real, caring human in a timely manner.

And most of all - building this observatory was a passion project for the founder, an avid astrophotographer himself wanting to spread the art and joy of astrophotography with the world. Will you be part of our journey?