Stargazing at PARI (Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute)
Former NASA tracking station — public star parties and radio-astronomy tours.
Updated:
· Tonight: Friday, August 14, 2026
📍 Western NC🌑 Bortle 3🚗 Located in Rosman, NC, within Pisgah National Forest, southwest of Asheville.
About PARI
PARI (the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute) occupies a former NASA and Department of Defense satellite tracking station deep in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest, and now runs public tours, camps, and ticketed star parties around its collection of radio and optical telescopes.
What you can see in the sky
Deep-sky objects through PARI's telescopes, plus a look at the site's large radio-astronomy dishes repurposed from its NASA tracking-station days.
Best time of year
Check PARI's event calendar for scheduled Star Party dates — these are ticketed evenings with staff-run telescopes.
Why this site is worth the drive
Former NASA satellite tracking station with radio telescopes still on-site
Ticketed public Star Party events with staff-operated telescopes
Deep in Pisgah National Forest — genuinely dark, low-humidity mountain air
Practical tips for PARI
Star Party and tour tickets are sold in advance through PARI's website
The campus also runs STEM camps and lodging for longer stays
Live 48-hour forecast
Tonight's verdict above is a build-time snapshot. For the full
hourly view — cloud cover, transparency, seeing, smoke, humidity,
moon altitude and a Bortle-aware tonight score by observing mode
(visual, deep-sky, planetary, astrophoto) — open the live forecast:
The live page combines Open-Meteo weather, US-AQI wildfire smoke,
moon math and Bortle-scale darkness into a single tonight score
(0–100), updated continuously.
Frequently asked questions
Is PARI good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Good (High confidence). 3h clear window during astronomical night, mean cloud 39%.
When is the best time of year to stargaze at PARI?
Check PARI's event calendar for scheduled Star Party dates — these are ticketed evenings with staff-run telescopes.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
Located in Rosman, NC, within Pisgah National Forest, southwest of Asheville.
What can I see in the sky here?
Deep-sky objects through PARI's telescopes, plus a look at the site's large radio-astronomy dishes repurposed from its NASA tracking-station days.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
PARI sits at Bortle class 3 on the 1–9 dark-sky scale, where 1 is a pristine wilderness sky and 9 is an inner-city sky.