2025 Southwest Utah Premium Astrophotography Masterclass
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Imagine your Telescope under our Dark Sky!
Southwest Utah has some of the darkest and clearest skies available anywhere in the US and is the perfect location to host your astro imaging equipment. Utah Desert Remote Observatories provides a safe and secure location with reliable power and fiber optic high speed internet and is ready to meet your needs.
Utah Desert Remote Observatories “Sage” Observatory just after dark with Zodiacal Light still in the western sky.
Enjoy Remote Astro Imaging in the US Desert Southwest from the Comfort of Home
Utah Desert Remote Observatories is located along the southeastern edge of the Great Basin Desert. It’s a remote area but only 130 miles northeast of Las Vegas (far enough to avoid its light pollution but near enough to drive – about 180 miles by car).
We understand that remote imaging isn’t for everyone, but for many people it’s the best way to enjoy this hobby. People who live in light polluted cities, or in locations with poor nighttime weather, or even people who need to travel frequently can locate their telescope equipment under the clear dark skies of Southwest Utah. We’re blessed with dark Bortle 2 skies, good seeing and weather that supports imaging 60 to 80 percent of the nights. Remote imaging is the best way to get more data and better data; more data since you don’t have to be physically present and better data because of the sky conditions.
Our Goal, “The best customer service experience in the industry”
There are a number of remote hosting providers to choose from. We all have dark skies. We all have observatory roofs that open and close. We all provide power and internet. What makes Utah Desert Remote Observatories different is our commitment to customer service. Our goal is simple, to provide the best customer service experience in the industry. We do that through experienced on-site caretakers who can quickly and efficiently resolve problems for you, so you can keep imaging.
Dark Sky
Utah Desert Remote Observatories has one of the darkest skies available anywhere in the country. Our location, about 130 miles northeast of Las Vegas, is far away from the type of light pollution most cities suffer.
Connectivity
Reliable power and high speed fiber optic internet make Utah Desert Remote Observatories an ideal choice for your remote system. High volumes of data can be quickly and easily downloaded directly to your computer.
Support
On site support ensures there is always a person to help you solve problems that can’t be resolved remotely.
We are pleased to offer observatory space for rent under one of the darkest skies in the United States. Plans are available to meet your needs whether you want to install your own equipment or rent a fully functioning system by the imaging hour.
Our Observatories
Our observatories are a roll-off building design and have capacity for dozens of complete systems. We’ll take care of monitoring the weather and opening or closing. We are situated in a large flat valley with clear views in all directions but the observatory will be oriented to optimize the view to the south. The building provides sufficient clearance so that telescopes don’t have to be parked before opening or closing. On-site support personnel will be on hand to monitor the weather and help deal with emergencies.
Utah Desert Remote Observatories
Rent a Telescope Pier
If you have everything you need except a dark sky you can locate your equipment in our observatory. We provide a solid concrete foundation for your pier along with reliable power and fiber optic high speed internet. You’re welcome to visit our site to complete the installation or you can contract with us or your vendor of choice to do the installation. Note – it is imperative that all components of your system be tested as a unit before bringing or shipping it to our site.
“I researched several remote sites and am pleased with UDRO. Craig, Cassie, and Steve are great to work with and spent hours helping me set up my instrument, trouble shoot software and polar align. They have a top notch site with dark skies and an observatory with excellent backup power and safety.” – Bryan Martin
Rent our Telescope by the Imaging Hour
If you have just a few special targets in mind or simply want to dabble in astrophotography we will be happy to work with you so you only pay for the imaging hours you need. We’ll start with a Zoom conference to determine the best way to image the target you have in mind and determine how many hours of imaging time will be required. Once imaging is complete we’ll send you the image files along with calibration frames for you to process. Every session is unique to that customer; you own the data collected during your session and can use it however you want.
“Working with Craig and the Utah Desert Remote Observatories (UDRO) was as easy a process as I’ve ever encountered. Craig was remarkably prompt at fielding my request to capture the variable star, R Leporis or Hind’s Crimson star, which is striking and has intrigued me ever since I first saw a photograph of it years ago. During the Zoom session with Craig, he explained to me in detail how the actual capturing would take place and when. I could tell this man was no stranger to post-processing the volume of data being produced with one of their large scopes. The resulting image appeared the following day as clear skies prevailed that night and the results were stunning. Craig was also very helpful in giving me pointers regarding producing a final product which is critical to the overall process. UDRO is astrophotography at its finest and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this site to anyone. Again, many thanks to Craig and his crew!” – Edward Huff
Weather at Utah Desert Remote Observatories
About Utah Desert Remote Observatories
Utah Desert Remote Observatories is a small family business with a vision as large as the universe. Learn how we can help you share our view of the night sky from a remote dark sky site in the Utah desert southwest.
Get in Touch
info@utahdesertremote.com