Astronomical Society of South Australia

The Heights Observatory

The Heights Observatory is a joint facility operated with The Heights School. The facility is located in metropolitan Adelaide, approximately 15km north-east of the city and is used primarily by school students to gain hands-on experience with their Astronomy studies and to show the public the night sky.

Telescopes

The Heights Observatory consists of two observatory buildings.

• The Emanuel Papaelia Observatory contains a 12-inch (32cm) Dall-Kirkham Cassegrain reflecting telescope built in 1963. The telescope was formerly housed at the Marryatville High School observatory and moved to The Heights School in 1989. It is operated manually, and is equipped with an electronic drive system to compensate for the earth's rotation. The telescope has recently been upgraded to allow real-time computerised tracking. The ground level of the observatory building includes an official seismic recording station operated by the Department of Primary Industries and Resources.
   
• The Ingham Family Rooms is a roll-off roof building that doubles as a classroom for students studying astronomy. It contains a computerised 14-inch Meade LX-200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.

 In addition to the permanent observatory buildings, The Heights Observatory also has a large portable 16-inch Meade reflecting telescope.

Public Viewing Nights

The Society holds public viewing nights at The Heights Observatoryonce a month. There is no need to book - just turn up on the night at the advertised starting time (8:00pm, or 8:30pm during daylight savings).

The following admission fees are charged at public viewing nights:

* Members should ensure they are wearing their name badge so that they are not charged for admission.

Viewing nights will only proceed if the weather is suitable. If in doubt, confirm by visiting our web site or calling (08) 8338 1231 before travelling to any observing  session.
  

Getting to The Heights Observatory

The Heights Observatory is located on the grounds surrounding The Heights School at Modbury Heights. Enter via the driveway on Augustus Street and park in the carpark next to the observatory.