
Current Observing Conditions Directions


Located at Camp Virgil Tate near Cross Lanes, WV, Breezy
Point Observatory is home to the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society.
This rolling-roof fortress design observatory houses the club's Meade LX200
12" Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope. The observatory is equipped with our
Meade LX200 mounted to a Pier-Tech electric pier, a Dell PC with astronomy
software, small library of astronomy related titles, star atlas' and other
references, and a modest collection of eyepieces and filters, featuring TeleVue eyepieces. The observatory building is approximately 17
feet square and is situated at the northeast corner of a 30 x 50 foot concrete pad.
The remainder of the concrete pad and the gravel area beside the pad is
intended to provide members and guests with a place to set up their
telescopes. The rolling-roof design allows the roof to be rolled
off completely. As opposed to a dome style observatory, this style of
observatory provides a "natural planetarium" feel as well as providing more
a comfortable space for larger crowds. Both are essential when hosting
star parties for students from our partner schools. Improvements and
additions are always being made to the observatory. The recent
addition of a new V-Rail system makes it easy for a single person to roll
the roof back. The club also plans to install a radio telescope in the
near future, allowing us a new view of the universe.
Here are some pictures of our observatory with the roof rolled away
Breezy Point Observatory is host to most of the meetings of the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society. Weather permitting, casual observing takes place at the conclusion of each meeting. A number of star parties also take place throughout the year at Breezy Point Observatory. For more information see our events page. Anyone is welcome to attend any star parties or other events at Breezy Point Observatory. For directions see our Directions To Meetings page. For answers to any questions you may have, please contact webmaster@kvas.org. Breezy Point Observatory was designed by Roger Chapman. For more information about the design, construction, and about how you can have your own fortress-style observatory, check out Roger Chapman's Fortress-Style Observatory Page.