Check out the membership page to learn more about joining FWAS.

Star*Quest Observatory is located in New Haven at Jefferson Township Park, just far enough away from Fort Wayne's city lights that we get a better view of the night sky. Click here for directions.

Star*Quest Observatory is open to the public on clear Saturday nights April through November. Stargazing begins one hour after sunset and continues for two hours.

Our members volunteer their time, knowledge, and resources to the public, but there aren't enough of us to run the observatory every night. We chose Saturday because it's the night most people can come out, and keeping a predictable schedule is important not only for our volunteers, but for the public. The weather/sky visibility also plays a deciding role on whether the observatory is open. For the best stargazing, the skies need to be clear enough for telescope viewing!

Access to the observatory outside of public hours is a benefit that comes with membership. Unless accompanying a FWAS member as a guest, non-members cannot use the observatory or be on the grounds.

Yes! And we will answer any questions you have about how to use it.

Kids are welcome at the observatory, but we ask that they not run around too much or touch the equipment as some of it is fragile and expensive. We have a step-stool so little ones can look through the telescope eyepiece.

Unfortunately due to light pollution, there are not going to be any great stargazing spots within city limits. The Bortle scale measures a night sky’s brightness, and ranges from class 1-9 with 9 being the most light polluted. Downtown Fort Wayne has Bortle class 9 skies. In the suburbs, it’s closer to class 7. Star*Quest Observatory is Bortle class 5. If you want to experience truly dark skies, a good way to get started is to use a dark sky map, find a dark sky location that you are able to visit, and plan a trip there.

Artificial lighting at night not only makes the starry night sky inaccessible to millions, it also negatively impacts our environment, our safety, our energy consumption and our health. To learn more about the issue of light pollution and how you can make a difference, visit darksky.org