Planetarium + ObservatoryHarrow Hill, Connecticut41.90° N 72.00° W
NIGHTATLAS
A 48-seat dome and a half-metre telescope on a dark hill in the Quiet Corner. Come look up.
UNDER THE DOME
Every show is run live by a person with a laser pointer and opinions.
Autumn 2026 season, September 18 to December 20. The galaxy beside this panel sits just off the bowl of the Big Dipper. We will show you where.
- 01
The Quiet Corner Sky
Tonight's actual sky on the dome, then found again outside on the lawn. Fridays and Saturdays, 45 minutes after sunset.
- 02
Andromeda Is Coming
Our neighbour galaxy is closing on us at about 110 kilometres a second. A look at the next few billion years. Saturdays.
- 03
Small Bear, Big Bear
Two bears, one north star, and how to find all three from your own driveway. Sundays at 2:00 PM.
- 04
Ring Season
Saturn is well placed all autumn. A short dome talk, then the real thing through the eyepiece, weather allowing. Saturdays after full dark.
THE HARROW HALF-METRE
A 20-inch reflector under a five-metre dome.
Everyone gets a turn at the eyepiece and nobody gets rushed. On a steady night the gap in the rings is a clean black line. People tend to go quiet.
| Aperture | 508 mm (20 in) |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 4,064 mm, f/8 |
| Optics | Ritchey-Chrétien reflector |
| Mount | Direct-drive equatorial fork |
| Light grasp | About 5,300 × the unaided eye |
| Resolution | 0.23 arcsec (Dawes limit) |
| Dome | 5.0 m rotating, 1.2 m slit |
TONIGHT OVER THE HILL
The chart beside this panel is live. These are the stars that never set at our latitude, turned to match the clock on Harrow Hill right now.
Follow the two stars at the end of the Dipper's bowl and you land on Polaris. The dashed line shows the way.
COME UP THE HILL
Dress for ten degrees colder than town.
- OpenFriday and Saturday evenings. Doors 30 minutes before sunset. Sunday matinee at 2:00 PM.
- Where41 Harrow Hill Road, the Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Gravel lot at the top. Park facing downhill, headlights off.
- CloudsThe dome show runs in any weather. Telescope tickets roll over to any clear night this season.
- AccessStep-free dome and warming room. The eyepiece ladder has a seated option. Ask at the desk.
- BringA red flashlight, a warm layer, questions.
HOLD A SEAT
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