The Vega-Bray Observatory is a privately owned amateur astronomy observatory dedicated to public education. The facilities are modern and house a variety of telescopes ranging from 6-inches to 20-inches in diameter. Some of these are computerized and are able to slew to a galaxy or nebula on command. The observatory is available to the guests of Skywatcher’s Inn. Vega-Bray Observatory also houses a small science museum and a planetarium that are part of the teaching program. Situated at 3800 feet elevation, the observatory was founded in 1990 and is used by various amateur astronomers from southern Arizona.

Who could forget that weird thundercloud in the sky on the ride to Vega-Bray? They don't make clouds like that back east!

Display cases of artifacts in part of the natural history museum at Vega-Bray.

This is one of the telescope rooms in the inn. The roof rolls back to reveal the sky following sunset. RBSE personnel and other visitors wandered from telescope to telescope throughout the evening to look at stars and nebulae through the clouds.

Sunset that evening was obscured by a partly cloudy sky and thunderclouds. We were in for a pleasant surprise when breaks in the overcast after sunset revealed some pretty spectacular sights.

The dome over the planetarium.

Dinner that evening was the first home cooked food many of us had eaten in well over a week. We ate like prisoners at their final meal. Nothing was safe. Nothing was left over (at least in our dining room.) We figured that we wouldn't have a chance at eating like this ever again while in Tucson. And then we met our chef up on Kitt Peak. Casey and company took GOOD care of us and we ate like pigs. Thanks, Casey!