Hard Labor Creek Observatory

Hard Labor Creek Observatory Astronomical observatory operated by the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Georgia State Univ.

Located in the middle of Hard Labor Creek State Park in Rutledge, Georgia (~50 miles east of downtown Atlanta), the observatory is a resource for professional and amateur astronomers. However, an additional service of HLCO has been to the public - bringing the wonders of the Universe to Georgia residents. Professional astronomers from Georgia State University take advantage of the dark skies, away

from the light pollution of Atlanta, Conyers, and Covington, to observe objects as near as the Moon and as far away as distant galaxies. Hard Labor Creek Observatory is usually open to the public one Saturday evening per month from March through October. More details and a calendar of open house dates can be found here: https://physics-astro.gsu.edu/hlco/

05/31/2026

Join us at the Fernbank Science Center next Thursday, June 4th from 7:00-9:00pm for the next Cosmic Conversations featuring Dr. Misty Bentz! Misty will be delving into her research area of world-renowned expertise: supermassive black holes!

A planetarium show will directly precede the talk. Tickets are $5 per person for students or $10 for adults and may be reserved through the series' official webpage (https://t.gsu.edu/4jZ4eWq). The planetarium show will begin at 7pm, with the featured talk beginning at 8pm. A ticket allows you to attend either or both experiences. Ticket pricing remains the same whether you attend one portion of the evening or both.

04/26/2026

Join us at the Fernbank Science Center next Thursday, April 30th from 7:00-9:00pm for the next Cosmic Conversations featuring Dr. Jeremy Maune. Jeremy will be sharing his expertise with a very special class of supermassive black holes: blazars!

A black hole-themed planetarium show will directly precede the talk. Tickets are $5 per person for students or $10 for adults and may be reserved through the series' official webpage (https://t.gsu.edu/4jZ4eWq). The planetarium show will begin at 7pm, with the featured talk beginning at 8pm. A ticket allows you to attend either or both experiences. Ticket pricing remains the same whether you attend one portion of the evening or both.

Reminder about this event everyone, tickets are selling fast!!
01/28/2026

Reminder about this event everyone, tickets are selling fast!!

Have you wondered if there is life outside our Earth? If yes, then you don't wanna miss our next .

Meet our speaker Madeline Davis.

Madeline is a graduate student in astronomy . Her research focuses on studying how gas flows outward from the active centers of galaxies and affects their evolution. She will be talking about "Life in the solar system".

Limited seats available, get your tix now!!! 🎟️

Come check out GSU Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student, Madeline Davis, talk about the potential for life in the Sola...
01/22/2026

Come check out GSU Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student, Madeline Davis, talk about the potential for life in the Solar System on January 29th! The talk will be at the Fernbank Science Center's Planetarium (one of the highest resolution planetariums IN THE WORLD). Tickets are $5 for students and seniors, $10 for adults. This ticket includes admission to the planetarium show at 7 pm 1/29/2026 AND admission to the Cosmic Conversation talk at 8 pm 1/29/2026. Purchase your tickets here: http://www.fernbank.edu/CosmicConversations.html

Did you miss ? Well, we are so back!!!

Join us next Thursday, Jan 29th to hear about "Life in the Solar System" from PhD candidate Madeline Davis at the beautiful planetarium of Fernbank Science Center. 🌌

The talk will start following a beautiful planetarium show, and you can attend both with a single ticket!

Scan the QR codes or go to the link in bio 🔗 for tix 🎟️

Time ⏰: 7-9pm
Date 📅: Jan 29th, 2025
Where 📌: Fernbank Science Center

Tags: [astronomy, space, free event, public talk, planetarium show, Atlanta, Fernbank, Georgia]

Hello Everyone, there is another Cosmic Conversation at the Fernbank Science Center Planetarium this Thursday (12/4). Th...
12/02/2025

Hello Everyone, there is another Cosmic Conversation at the Fernbank Science Center Planetarium this Thursday (12/4). The speaker is GSU Physics and Astronomy professor Viacheslav Sadykov. Come to learn all about the Sun's activity and space weather! You can buy your tickets at http://www.fernbank.edu/ .

is back for December!!

Join us next Thursday, Dec 4th to hear about "how's the weather in space" from Astronomy professor Dr. Viacheslav Sadykov at the beautiful planetarium of Fernbank Science Center. 🌌

Tickets: scan the QR codes or go to the link in bio 🔗

Time ⏰: 7-9pm
Date 📅: Dec 4th, 2025
Where 📌: Fernbank Science Center

Tags: [astronomy, space, free event, public talk, planetarium show, Atlanta, Fernbank, Georgia]

Hello Everyone, GSU Astronomy has partnered with the Fernbank  Science Center to start Cosmic Conversations! This is a l...
08/27/2025

Hello Everyone, GSU Astronomy has partnered with the Fernbank Science Center to start Cosmic Conversations! This is a lecture/event series that will take place in Fernbank's planetarium bi-monthly. The first event is all about how astronomers quantify the size and scale of the Universe! This is a free event Thursday September 18th, but you MUST register in advance to reserve your spot. GSU Astronomy hopes to see you there!!

CANCELED: Hello everyone, unfortunately the weather has not been on our side this weekend and we have also canceled the ...
06/15/2025

CANCELED: Hello everyone, unfortunately the weather has not been on our side this weekend and we have also canceled the the AsTropaLooza HLCO event for tonight. Once again, we hope to see you all at our next event on July 26th!

Come join us June 12-15th, 2025 for 'AsTropaLooza: The Astronomy of ATL Showcase'!

AsTropaLooza will feature 4 days of observing sessions, STEM demos, keynote speakers featuring Prof Misty Bentz from Georgia State University and Prof Hodari James from Agnes Scott College, open houses at Hard Labor Creek Observatory and Bradley Observatory at Agnes Scott College, and more!

All events are free and open to the public. Check out the details here: https://physics-astro.gsu.edu/astropalooza-2025/

06/13/2025

CANCELED: This public night has been canceled due to a high chance of rain and thunderstorms. We hope to see you at the next event on July 26th.

Send a message to learn more

Hello everyone, just a reminder that the AsTropaLooza event is coming up! The AsTropaLooza HLCO event will be on Sunday ...
06/05/2025

Hello everyone, just a reminder that the AsTropaLooza event is coming up! The AsTropaLooza HLCO event will be on Sunday June 15th. This event is free, but you do have to RSVP!

Come join us June 12-15th, 2025 for 'AsTropaLooza: The Astronomy of ATL Showcase'!
AsTropaLooza will feature 4 days of observing sessions, STEM demos, keynote speakers featuring Prof Misty Bentz from Georgia State University and Prof Hodari James from Agnes Scott College, open houses at Hard Labor Creek Observatory and Bradley Observatory at Agnes Scott College, and more!
All events are free and open to the public. Check out the details here: https://physics-astro.gsu.edu/astropalooza-2025/

Come join us June 12-15th, 2025 for 'AsTropaLooza: The Astronomy of ATL Showcase'!

AsTropaLooza will feature 4 days of observing sessions, STEM demos, keynote speakers featuring Prof Misty Bentz from Georgia State University and Prof Hodari James from Agnes Scott College, open houses at Hard Labor Creek Observatory and Bradley Observatory at Agnes Scott College, and more!

All events are free and open to the public. Check out the details here: https://physics-astro.gsu.edu/astropalooza-2025/

05/23/2025

CANCELLATION: This event has been canceled due to cloud coverage and chance of thunderstorms. We hope to see you at our next Public Night on June 14th!

Send a message to learn more

Address

2010 Fairplay Road
Rutledge, GA
30663

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