Observatories

Explore the Skies at the Chabot Observatories

Chabot’s giant, historic telescopes offer a unique way to experience the awe and wonder of the Universe. Check out celestial viewing day and night. Our observatory deck offers breathtaking views 1,500 feet above the Bay.

Don’t Miss: A View to the Stars exhibition inside the telescope domes.

The observatories at Chabot Space & Science Center are located 37.819 degrees North latitude and 122.182 degrees West longitude.

Visit our interactive Sky Calendar for day-by-day tips on what to look for in the sky.
Visit the weather station to view the current conditions.

Evening Viewing

Experience spectacular night sky viewing. It’s the best kept secret in the Bay Area. See the magnificence of our telescopes in action!

Regular hours are every Friday & Saturday evening, weather and special events permitting:

• 7:30pm - 10:30pm (during the summer months, telescopes open once the skies are dark)
• Use the outside gate around the back of the Center. Follow the signs to the observatory entrance gate.

General Admission guests are welcome to access the telescopes through our Astronomy Hall with in and out privileges.

Daytime Viewing

During your visit on Saturday and Sunday afternoons our volunteers on the observatory deck will have special telescopes out to view the Sun, Moon, or Venus. Free with General Admission, weather permitting, of course!

• Staffed observatory hours: 12pm - 5pm
  
• Observing hours: 1pm - 4pm

Solar Viewing

At Chabot in the light of day we bring out Sunspotters, a Coronado Hydrogen-Alpha PST telescope, a Coronado SolarMax 70 H-alpha telescope, and a Coronado Calcium-K filter solar scope. Each of these scopes gives us a different view of the Sun, allowing visitors to explore different solar features. Views of the Sun through these scopes are available most Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting.

Sunspotters

The "safe solar viewing" Sunspotter telescope reveals any sunspots that may be crossing the Sun's photosphere (visible surface) on a given day. Sunspots are magnetic disturbances on the Sun, quite often as big as the planet Earth--and can get much larger than that!

Hydrogen Alpha Filter Telescopes

Through these special telescopes, which filter out all of the Sun's light except for a special wavelength of red that emitted by hot hydrogen gas, we are able to view features in the Sun's atmosphere--features such as filaments and prominences: cooler gases in the Sun's atmosphere that might be thought of as "clouds" on the Sun. These "clouds," however, are much larger than the Earth and made of hot hydrogen gas.

Calcium-K Filter Telescope

Another telescope with a special filter allows us to see the Sun only in the blue light emitted by hot calcium, revealing surface hot spots in a similar way to how a Sunspotter reveals the cooler locales of sunspots.

About Chabot’s Telescopes

Chabot boasts three telescopes on its observatory deck. Nellie, Chabot‘s youngest and most powerful, is housed in a rolling roof observatory, allowing access to 180 degrees of sky. This modern, research-quality telescope offers breathtaking views of the cosmos.

The impressive 20" telescope, named Rachel, is the largest refractor in the western United States regularly open to the public. Its companion, the 8" Alvan Clark refractor, named Leah, is the original 1883 instrument donated by founder Anthony Chabot.

Check out our ObservatoryCam