Stony Ridge Observatory

Welcome to Stony Ridge Observatory (SRO).

SRO was originally built, and now owned and operated by amateur astronomers. This observatory has served its members, science investigators, students and the public (through planned outreach programs) since its completion in 1963.

Our observatory is perched on a ridge about 6 miles (9.7 km) north by north-east of the historic Mt. Wilson Observatory. To the east is The San Gabriel Wilderness Area and the 2000 foot deep Devil's Canyon. Stony Ridge is located very near a site that had been considered ("Horse Flats" in this paper), in 1928, for the location of George Ellery Hale's "new" 200-inch (5-m) telescope.

After a 45-minute drive along the Angeles Crest Highway north of Pasadena, California, the visitor arrives at Stony Ridge Observatory in the heart of the beautiful Angeles National Forest.

We invite you to browse our website by starting with our History page, or by visiting our SRO Vistas Gallery to view some of our members' photographs of the Stony Ridge area.

Above: The telescope first arrives at its new mountain home.

Above: Photo of a bronze plaque mounted next to the entrance door of the Stony Ridge dome. The names are those of the original 15 founding members of Stony Ridge Observatory. An asteroid, (10168) Stony Ridge, was discovered at SRO in 1995 and named to honor these members.
Click here to see what these folks did for SRO.

2011 Observatory Status (Oct. 2011)

Stony Ridge Observatory remains closed to the general public. Power has been restored to the site. Cleanup and equipment testing is in progress.

During the past several years, SRO has been engaged in a major upgrade to the 30-inch (0.76-m) telescope. The original telescope's dual-chain drive, designed by George A. Carroll (1902-1987) and later modified by Tim Cann, has been replaced with a new harmonic drive system that will enable the observer to easily point the telescope quickly to an astronomical object with greater precision.

As this upgrade project was coming to completion last summer (2009), tragedy struck in the form of a wild fire that raced over the observatory grounds, destroying most of the surrounding forest, but leaving the observatory untouched by flames.