A private experience beneath the stars
The dark is part of the experience
True darkness is increasingly difficult to find. Away from the brightness of larger cities, the Central Oregon night sky offers the chance to see more stars, more depth and more of the natural rhythm of night.
Protecting that darkness matters. Thoughtful outdoor lighting helps preserve the view, supports nocturnal wildlife and keeps the high desert feeling like the high desert after sunset.
What might be overhead?
No two nights at Asterisk are exactly alike. The moon changes. Planets move. Constellations come and go with the seasons. Clouds occasionally make their own plans.
Depending on timing and conditions, you may encounter:
The moon in astonishing detail. Planets and their moons. Binary stars. Open and globular star clusters. Nebulae where stars are born. Galaxies far beyond our own. Satellites passing quietly overhead. A meteor, when the universe is feeling generous.
We cannot promise a particular celestial object or a perfectly clear sky. We can promise that every session begins with the same question:
What can we see tonight?
Look farther.
The high desert changes after dark. Smith Rock becomes a silhouette, the air settles and the sky begins to reveal just how much has been overhead all along.
Located on the property at The Spot, Asterisk Observatory offers guests a private window into deep space through a 17-inch PlaneWave telescope. No previous knowledge is required. Bring your questions, your curiosity and perhaps something warm to wear.
The sky, brought a little closer
Looking up with the naked eye is one thing. Looking through a telescope of this scale is something else entirely.
Depending on the season, weather and what happens to be above us, a session may reveal the textured surface of the moon, the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, distant star clusters, glowing nebulae or galaxies whose light began traveling toward us long before any of us arrived here.
What you see will change from night to night. The feeling usually doesn’t.
Stay up for something bigger
Spend the day hiking, climbing or wandering the property. Watch the cliffs change color as the sun drops. Gather around the fire while your eyes adjust to the dark.
Then walk over to the observatory and travel a few million light-years without ever leaving The Spot.
Some experiences fill the day. This one changes how you see the night.
Reserve your view
Private Asterisk Observatory sessions are offered to guests of The Spot by advance reservation and are subject to weather, visibility and availability.
Choose your evening. Bring your people. We’ll see what the universe is doing.
A private experience beneath the stars
Asterisk Observatory sessions are available exclusively to guests staying at The Spot and are reserved privately for your group.
This is not a crowded public star party or a lecture beneath fluorescent lights. It is a relaxed, personal experience shaped around the sky that evening and the people gathered beneath it. Ask every question you have, take your time at the telescope or simply stand back and appreciate the scale of what you are seeing.
Children, first-time observers and lifelong astronomy enthusiasts are all welcome. Wonder has no experience requirement.
A very serious telescope. For a wonderfully unserious evening.
At the center of the observatory is a 17-inch PlaneWave telescope designed to gather far more light than the human eye can see on its own. That light allows us to look beyond the bright objects overhead and deeper into the universe.
The equipment may be sophisticated, but the experience is meant to feel easy. You do not need to know the names of the constellations, understand orbital mechanics or pretend you remember anything from high-school science.