Gunnison Valley Observatory

07/31/2026

Guess what? Looks like it's going to be a beautiful night for some stargazing AND we still have lots of tickets available for tonight's astronomy talk and dome tours! Get 'em before they're gone at www.gunnisonvalleyobservatory.org.

07/25/2026

Due to the overcast skies, viewing for the dome and outside scopes has been canceled

07/19/2026

Due to rain moving into the area, all observatory programs have been canceled for tonight, 7/18.

07/17/2026

Looks promising for rain, but not so good for observing. Tonight's Observatory programs have been canceled due to weather.

07/04/2026

Given the current smoke conditions and falling ash, tonight's observatory programs have been canceled. All tickets will be refunded.

05/15/2026

🌌 Ready to capture the Milky Way over the Gunnison Valley?

The Gunnison Valley Observatory is hosting an exciting Astrophotography Workshop Series this summer — whether you’re a total beginner with just a cell phone or ready to dive into deep space imaging. 📸✨

🔹 BEGINNER SESSIONS
📅 July 9 OR July 16, 2026
💲 $20
Learn how to photograph:
• The Milky Way with your phone or DSLR
• Deep Sky Objects with star trackers & smart telescopes
• Image setup + editing basics
• Hands-on observing under the stars

No experience needed — just curiosity and a love of the night sky.

🔹 INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED SERIES
📅 August 6 + August 13, 2026
💲 $50 (includes one required beginner session!)

Dive deeper into:
🌠 Nebulae & galaxy imaging
🔭 Smart telescopes & astro rigs
💻 Data collection + image processing
📷 Turning raw data into stunning astrophotos

Participants will also receive real observatory data to practice with at home.

✨ Workshops are limited to just 12 participants, so sign up early!

Instructors: Dave Clayton & Chris Ashford — experienced astrophotographers and GVO volunteers.

👉 Register here: https://www.gunnisonvalleyobservatory.org/register/p/basic-astrophotography-workshop

Questions? Contact Dave Clayton at [email protected]

Come learn one of the most rewarding hobbies under some of Colorado’s darkest skies. 🌌

Beginner-friendly — no experience needed BASIC: July 9 & July 16 (same workshop offered twice — choose one date) Learn the fundamentals of astrophotography + hands-on night sky shooting (cellphone, cameras, telescopes). Cost: $20 per person INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED: August 6 (Data Captu

04/25/2026

The engineering students did a great job presenting their GVO secondary mirror project at the WCU Engineering Expo yesterday!

04/18/2026

The elves (students) have been busy this winter at GVO! For their capstone project a group of mechanical engineering and computer science students redesigned the structure holding the secondary mirror on the 30" telescope and created new telescope control software to replace the incredibly outdated software we'd been using. Over the last two weeks the students have re-installed the secondary mirror, installed the new software, and spent hours aligning, testing, and getting everything working. With the new systems, the telescope is able to produce clearer and sharper views than ever before! We are so excited to share these new views with everyone when we open in June! In the meantime, the students will be presenting their project at Western's Engineering Expo on April 23rd: https://events.western.edu/event/engineering-expo - this event is open to the public, so come and see all the work they put into this. They'll even have a 1/3-sized scale model to show.