Ashton Observatory

The Ashton Observatory is located twenty minutes north-east of Des Moines on Hwy. F17 just off of Hwy. 330 west of Baxter. The site is nestled within the beauty of Ashton-Wildwood county park and has superior viewing avenues in all directions.

The building was a collaborative effort between Jasper County and the Des Moines Astronomical Society. A classroom was included with the structure to provide a facility for presenting public lectures as well as a meeting room for club members.

Built in 1983, the observatory has served thousands of visitors from central Iowa, the midwest, and around the world. On a single night in 1986, during the observations of Halley's Comet, twelve-hundred guests were treated to a spectacular show! In April of 1994, 60 visitors were privileged to observe the Aurora Borealis dance across the northern horizon, a sight not uncommon at Ashton-Wildwood Park. In 1997 society members maintained a constant vigil watching the incredible close fly-by of Comet Hyakutake, and during the spectacular Comet Hale-Bopp passage in 1998, more than twelve-hundred central Iowans were treated to observing the comet's fascinating nucleus at the observatory.