Observatories to Visit in Oklahoma

Observatories are home to some of the biggest and most impressive telescopes in the world. As many amateur astronomers know, there are numerous ways to experience the night sky beyond looking through a telescope in your own backyard. Oklahoma has impressive observatories that offer a wide variety of star parties, tours, and observatory programs that will expand your knowledge of astronomy and your love of the night sky, whether you are new to astronomy or have been in the hobby for years.

For your convenience, we have compiled an alphabetical list of observatories in Oklahoma that offer programs for the public.

Disclaimer: This information was collected from the observatories’ websites in January 2025. Some information may be subject to change if the websites are updated. If interested in visiting one of the listed observatories, please contact the observatory for the latest information before you visit.

ACT Observatory

The ACT Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Astronomy Club of Tulsa. It is located 30 miles south of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States in the town of Mounds. Prior to its renaming in 2010, It was also known as Mounds Observatory.

Telescopes

The club’s main telescope, a 14-inch diameter Meade RCX 400, is located inside a 20-foot diameter dome on the second level.

Visiting

This observatory holds scheduled Public Nights. The schedule for these events can be found on the website, and admission is free.The observatory is operated by club volunteers and is only open on scheduled observing evenings. In the events section of the observatories website, you will find postings of dates along with directions and helpful hints.

Image Credit: Astronomy Club of Tulsa

Mendenhall Observatory

Mendenhall Observatory resides on the campus of Oklahoma State University, and is situated under dark skies southwest of Stillwater, Oklahoma. The observatory is named after the university's first astronomer, Harrison Shepler Mendenhall.

Telescopes

The featured telescopes located at the observatory are 8 and 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes and a 24-inch Ritchey-Chrétien (RC) optical telescope.

Image Credit: Oklahoma State University

University of Oklahoma Observatory

This observatory is an astronomical observatory built in 1939 and is located in Norman on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

Telescopes

Originally, this observatory featured a 10-inch Newtonian reflector and a smaller 3.5-inch telescope, it was housed in a 16-foot dome atop what was at the time the southernmost building on campus. In 1995, the original 10-inch telescope was replaced by a 0.4 meters (16 inches) Meade telescope which still stands today.