Just wanted to get an idea from folks about where are objectively the best remote hosting sites that are available for amateurs in northern hemisphere with the best seeing conditions consistently? If you are to host a massive scope (500mm or larger) where would you put it?
Site with the best consistent seeing conditions available for remote hosting in the northern hemisphere?
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HCRO would be at the top of the list. Its at about 7500 feet and regularly dips below 1” seeing. There is currently a 700mm CDK and some larger scopes being installed soon. Happy to chat about my experience there as well if you want.
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Oh, and they also stream real time telemetry data on their site that is publicly available to view. So you can take a look.
Not quite massive, but I’ve got a CDK14 on its way to HCRO shortly. Should be installed in early January.
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Chris White- Overcast Observatory · Oct 29, 2025, 02:15 PM
HCRO would be at the top of the list. Its at about 7500 feet and regularly dips below 1” seeing. There is currently a 700mm CDK and some larger scopes being installed soon. Happy to chat about my experience there as well if you want.
HCRO has been always the first one that comes to my mind too. Thanks Chris. I did a quick search on AB for images from HCRO and I only found three images with scopes with an aperture of 400mm or larger.
Does the CDK 700 publish their data anywhere?
Jeff Ridder · Oct 29, 2025, 02:24 PM
Not quite massive, but I’ve got a CDK14 on its way to HCRO shortly. Should be installed in early January.
Oh thats great! Would love to hear your experience when you get there. Congratulations!
HCRO looks good but I doubt that it gets better than SkiesAway in California. We regularly get below one arcsec. Below is a one of the better nights. More typically, the great seeing will be early AM as opposed to all night as it was that night.
The bad news is that Bryan does not currently have any available spots. I think he has a waiting list but it is a small operation.
So in that sense HCRO might have the best “available” seeing (although I have heard that SRO can get pretty good as well).
📷 Best Ever.png
Good to see that HCRO has public seeing data. So does SkiesAway. There are some sites that do not and that always makes me wonder if that is accidental or deliberate because their seeing is not great.
I do know that I would never put a long focal length system anywhere w/o having seeing data for a year or so on the site.
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Ashraf AbuSara · Oct 29, 2025, 02:44 PM
Chris White- Overcast Observatory · Oct 29, 2025, 02:15 PM
HCRO would be at the top of the list. Its at about 7500 feet and regularly dips below 1” seeing. There is currently a 700mm CDK and some larger scopes being installed soon. Happy to chat about my experience there as well if you want.
HCRO has been always the first one that comes to my mind too. Thanks Chris. I did a quick search on AB for images from HCRO and I only found three images with scopes with an aperture of 400mm or larger.
Does the CDK 700 publish their data anywhere?
Ill send you a PM with contact info for the site owner. He manages the 700 with the scope owner and can probably assist with your request. I know they just poured several pads fpr planewave domes to house some 1m telescopes (if I remember correctly).
Bill McLaughlin · Oct 29, 2025, 02:56 PM
HCRO looks good but I doubt that it gets better than SkiesAway in California. We regularly get below one arcsec. Below is a one of the better nights. More typically, the great seeing will be early AM as opposed to all night as it was that night.
The bad news is that Bryan does not currently have any available spots. I think he has a waiting list but it is a small operation.
So in that sense HCRO might have the best “available” seeing (although I have heard that SRO can get pretty good as well).
📷 Best Ever.png
Good to see that HCRO has public seeing data. So does SkiesAway. There are some sites that do not and that always makes me wonder if that is accidental or deliberate because their seeing is not great.
I do know that I would never put a long focal length system anywhere w/o having seeing data for a year or so on the site.
I agree with Bill on vetting a site before a deployment like you describe. One thing to pay close attention to is wind as well. Some sites have high wind when the seeing is good. At hcro at least, its almost always calm. Very rare to lose imaging due to wind. Also dust is a major consideration. Its a very clean site as well with no dust issues. Also no rodents.
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Chris White- Overcast Observatory · Oct 29, 2025, 03:22 PM
I agree with Bill on vetting a site before a deployment like you describe. One thing to pay close attention to is wind as well. Some sites have high wind when the seeing is good. At hcro at least, its almost always calm. Very rare to lose imaging due to wind. Also dust is a major consideration. Its a very clean site as well with no dust issues. Also no rodents.
Exactly! SAROS can have some wind sometimes early in the evening but typically not high and it never happens when the seeing is good. Dust is totally a non-issue. The only issue is fog/high humidity since the same conditions that cause the good seeing (laminar flow off the Pacific) can cause humidity. It is fairly common to see fog roll in after an early AM period of great seeing. SAROS is also kept rodent free (lots of ground squirrels and rabbits outside but not inside). 🐿️🐇
Rodents can be real trouble and one site in NM that will remain nameless had so many that it destroyed a friend’s Paramount ME.
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Bill McLaughlin · Oct 29, 2025, 03:30 PM
Chris White- Overcast Observatory · Oct 29, 2025, 03:22 PM
I agree with Bill on vetting a site before a deployment like you describe. One thing to pay close attention to is wind as well. Some sites have high wind when the seeing is good. At hcro at least, its almost always calm. Very rare to lose imaging due to wind. Also dust is a major consideration. Its a very clean site as well with no dust issues. Also no rodents.
Exactly! SAROS can have some wind sometimes early in the evening but typically not high and it never happens when the seeing is good. Dust is totally a non-issue. The only issue is fog/high humidity since the same conditions that cause the good seeing (laminar flow off the Pacific) can cause humidity. It is fairly common to see fog roll in after an early AM period of great seeing. SAROS is also kept rodent free (lots of ground squirrels and rabbits outside but not inside). 🐿️🐇
Rodents can be real trouble and one site in NM that will remain nameless had so many that it destroyed a friend’s Paramount ME.
With packrats, that’s entirely possible. Don’t ask me how I know!
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I currently host at e-Eye in southern Spain and really like it there. You have your own slice of the building so the roof only opens on nights you want it to which I find really nice. There are scopes of all sizes there so something 500 or larger would be totally fine there. Their on-site tech support is amazing as well.
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Chris White- Overcast Observatory · Oct 29, 2025, 02:15 PM
HCRO would be at the top of the list. Its at about 7500 feet and regularly dips below 1” seeing. There is currently a 700mm CDK and some larger scopes being installed soon. Happy to chat about my experience there as well if you want.
I’ll second Chris' recommendation. Great conditions, outstanding facility, and first rate support!
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