High Rock Tower Observatory

10/09/2026

A reminder our Starry Starry Night program is TONIGHT at High Rock Tower in Lynn, MA, 7:30 - 9:30 pm. We will have a clear night for observing.

We will not have a secondary scope tonight on the lawn, only the main telescope up in the observatory.

Tonight is a new moon, so we should have some excellent views of some bright stars, star clusters, the Ring nebula, and a crowd favorite: Saturn and its rings.

It is blustery and a bit chilly tonight so please dress in layers.

There are 100 steps to the top of the observatory. There are no restrooms or water fountains on the grounds, so please plan accordingly.

09/18/2026

Good news! After searching high and low, we were able to locate a replacement RA Drive Assembly for our telescope. The telescope is repaired and will be re-installed this weekend.

We are delighted to be able to open again in time for the Saturn opposition in early October.

Please sign up with this link, where you can also see our opening dates/times (Oct 9, Oct 26, Nov 17, and Nov 24):

[September 18, 2026 Telescope repair update] : The telescope is repaired! We are excited to open again! Welcome to 2026! We are open to the public weather permitting at sunset once or twice a month. This form will give us the info to plan for your arrival and contact you with event updates/cancellat...

06/09/2026

Apologies we are currently closed due to telescope repair; however, you can still observe the night sky with just your unaided eyes. Tonight (and indeed the next several nights), look West- Northwest about 40-45 minutes after sunset and you'll see Jupiter and Venus shining very brightly and close together. If you have very good eyes, you may also spot Mercury

Venus and Jupiter are almost their closest together this evening, 1.8° apart . . . tomorrow they'll be in conjunction.
https://buff.ly/PkPbrGF

05/22/2026

As we head into our long weekend, I hope you take a moment to breathe with the Cosmos

Take a moment to breathe with the cosmos 🌌

Above the Chilean landscape, the Milky Way stretches across the night sky. Off to the right, the Large Magellanic Cloud glows softly in the distance 160,000 light years away.

For as long as humans have existed, we’ve looked up at the night sky and wondered about our place in the cosmos. Scenes like this remind us why ✨

📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/H. Stockebrand

05/21/2026

New dates drop, Please visit this link to regsiter:

Welcome to 2026! We are open to the public weather permitting at sunset once or twice a month. This form will give us the info to plan for your arrival and contact you with event updates/cancellations. We will cancel if the forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies. We'll send you a confirmation/cancel...

05/01/2026

Tonight’s Starry Starry Night program at High Rock Tower in Lynn, MA, is 8-10 pm. One of the best evenings so far this year for observing!

Sunset is at 7:44 pm, which is also the time that the full moon will rise. Be sure to dress in layers as it's a bit windy today and tower can be chilly.

We should have some excellent views of the full moon and time-permitting, Jupiter.

Full Moon Key Features to Notice:

Ray Ejecta Systems: Bright streaks radiating from craters, most notably from Tycho in the southern hemisphere, which are visible to the naked eye or binoculars.

Lunar Maria ("Seas"): Dark, smooth basaltic plains formed by ancient volcanic lava flows. Key areas include Oceanus Procellarum (the largest) and Mare Crisium (a distinctive isolated dark oval).

Highlands: The lighter-colored, heavily cratered, and elevated areas that contrast with the darker maria.

Color Variations: The Moon is not just gray; "blue" maria indicate titanium-rich lava, while redder areas are titanium-poor.

The "Moon Illusion": When low on the horizon, the moon appears significantly larger than when overhead, often intensified by atmospheric color changes (red/gold).

There are 100 steps to the top of the observatory. There are no
restrooms or water fountains on the grounds, so please plan accordingly.

04/17/2026

Happy Friday! What was your favorite memory at High Rock Tower? Comment below :)

04/17/2026

If you can see only one celestial event this April,
see this one.

Perhaps the most enchanted evening scenes this year!
On April 18, 19, & 20, look low in the west-northwest 60 minutes after sunset.
• On the first evening, the crescent moon, glowing full with earthshine, floats near brilliant Venus, while on the second evening, it moves just above the delicate Pleiades star cluster, and to the right of the bright star Aldebaran and the intriguing Hyades star cluster.
• On the third evening, the slightly thicker, but more pronounced crescent moon hangs above the Pleiades and the Hyades.
• Above it all, bright Jupiter plows through Gemini, shining near Castor and Pollux.

04/02/2026

Using preliminary testing data from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, scientists have discovered over 11,000 new asteroids. And this is only a first taste of what’s to come!

The data were confirmed by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center (MPC), marking this the largest single batch of asteroid discoveries reported in the past year. The discoveries were made using data from Rubin’s Science Validation survey conducted in 2025 and offer a powerful preview of the observatory’s transformative impact on Solar System science.

The discoveries include around 380 icy worlds orbiting far beyond Neptune called trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Two of them are especially extreme, with enormous orbits that place them among the five largest ever discovered.

Rubin Observatory is a joint program of NOIRLab and DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, who cooperatively operate Rubin.

Read more: noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2608/
Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor Star map: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Gaia DR2: ESA/Gaia/DPAC. Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

04/01/2026

Apologies everyone, but we will not be open tonight due to the rain. Hopefully we get better luck in the coming weeks to open. We badly need the rain, but we are eager to look at the night sky!

Our next open night will be April 24. You can register here:

Welcome to 2026! We are open to the public weather permitting at sunset once or twice a month. This form will give us the info to plan for your arrival and contact you with event updates/cancellations. We will cancel if the forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies. We'll send you a confirmation/cancel...