Abbey Ridge Observatory Association
Abbey Ridge Observatory
The Abbey Ridge Observatory is a robotic astronomical observatory featuring a 10ft dome and a 14 inch C14 Telescope. It is one of only three observatories in the world, along with the Burke-Gaffney Observatory and the Mini Robotic Observatory, that can be controlled from Mastodon, and E-Mail in a fully-automatic way! You can even use its dedicated Communicator App.
Originally built in 2003 in Stillwater Lake Nova Scotia by Dr. Dave Lane, Abbey Ridge Observatory has moved to Stargaze Nova Scotia.
Our Vision
We believe the stars should be accessible to everyone. The Abbey Ridge Observatory Association exists to provide access to a research-grade telescope—both locally and remotely—for science, education, and public outreach. The observatory is located at Stargaze Nova Scotia, which is a stargazing park and premier dark-sky destination, that operates to preserve dark skies for future generations in Nova Scotia.
Northern Lights October 10th, 2024
Our Mission
AROA fulfills our vision by operating a robotic telescope that is accessible to students, educators, scientists, and the general public. We provide both on-site experiences that inspire curiosity, and remote access that enables learning, discovery, and the collection of scientific data. Our mission is to foster science literacy, expand public engagement with astronomy.
October 2025 Update: The observatory is still under developement!
As of October 1, 2025, the observatory is still under development (we are currently replacing parts to get the telescope working again).
We now have a board of directors in place, and will be sharing more information about our board soon.
Permits have been submitted to build accessible walkways and platforms to make accessing the observatory barrier free, so that ALL can access the observatory and it’s events. We aim to have this completed by Spring 2026.
Membership will open in the New Year for individuals interested in supporting the vision of AROA, at which point events will happen more regularly.
We have the capacity to accept donations to fund repairing and maintaining the telescope, as well as building out barrier free access to the observatory and barrier free observing platforms.
