Fernbank Observatory is an astronomical

Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

 observatory

Observatory

An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...

 owned and operated by the Fernbank Science Center

Fernbank Science Center

The Fernbank Science Center is a museum, classroom, and woodland complex located in Atlanta. It is owned and operated by DeKalb County School System...

.

It is located between Decatur

Decatur, Georgia

Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...

 and Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. It claims to have the largest telescope in the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 southeast outside of Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, however, a 1-m aperture spectroscopic telescope is found in Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 at the Hard Labor Creek Observatory

Hard Labor Creek Observatory

Hard Labor Creek Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Georgia State University in the United States. It is located within Hard Labor Creek State Park, 50 miles east of the Atlanta, Georgia campus.-References:# -External links:...

. The 0.9 meter (36-inch) Cassegrain reflector sits beneath a 10 meter (30 ft.) dome, and is one of the largest instruments ever dedicated to education and public viewing. The observatory hosts an "open house" on Thursday and Friday nights, weather permitting, from dark or 8:00 p.m. (whichever occurs later) until 10:30 p.m.

External links

• Fernbank Observatory Clear Sky Clock Forecasts of observing conditions.