New Observatory at DSP Remote | Bortle 1 Hosting, New Mexico

DSP Remote (DSPR) is building Observatory 21, a second large observatory at its Bortle 1 site near Animas, New Mexico. The site already has several smaller roll-off roof observatories, each with room for up to five piers, and one large building, Observatory 20, our half-pipe observatory, which houses many member telescopes and is already full. Observatory 21 is framed, roofed and clad, and it is expected to be finished in the next few months. When it opens it will add a large amount of hosting capacity beside Observatory 20. If you would like a telescope hosted in Observatory 21, contact Ed Thomas now to be on the list for opening day.

Observatory 21, as of September 2026

These photos were taken on September 12, 2026. The steel frame, roof and wall panels are up and the slab is poured. The front is still open, and the inside is a clean, empty shell. The next stage is fitting it out for telescopes.

Front of Observatory 21 at DSP Remote with its open steel frame and concrete slab, the half-pipe Observatory 20 at left — Observatory 21 from the front. Observatory 20, the half-pipe, is on the left.

Empty interior of Observatory 21, looking out through the open end toward the New Mexico desert — Inside Observatory 21 today: an empty slab, ready to be fitted out.

What it will look like: Observatory 20 today

The best preview of Observatory 21 is the large building next to it. Observatory 20, our half-pipe observatory, is full, rig after rig, each on its own pier, cabled, powered and imaging every clear night. Observatory 21 has the same goal: to fill with members' telescopes.

Rows of member telescopes and cameras on individual piers inside Observatory 20, the DSP Remote half-pipe observatory — Member rigs inside Observatory 20.

Looking down the length of Observatory 20, the half-pipe observatory, at telescopes mounted on black piers — Looking down the full length of Observatory 20.

A large reflector and several refractors on piers inside Observatory 20, the half-pipe observatory — Rigs of every size, from small refractors to large reflectors.

Why Bortle 1 skies in southwestern New Mexico

Bortle 1 is the darkest class on the Bortle scale: no light dome on the horizon and a sky dark enough that faint nebulae and galaxy halos stand out from the background. Under skies like these, a single hour can capture more usable data than several nights under city skies. Our side-by-side look at M101 shows the difference.

The site near Animas also delivers the weather and seeing that make dark skies count:

Over 286 clear nights a year.
Median seeing of 1.4 to 1.9 arcseconds FWHM, with more than 40 nights a year below 1.3 arcseconds.
Live conditions, including roof-open hours and forecasts, on our conditions page.

The DSP Remote site near Animas, New Mexico, with observatory buildings on open desert under a wide sky — The DSP Remote site near Animas, New Mexico.

On-site support from Chris Fellows

Chris Fellows is DSPR's co-founder and technical director. He brings 35 years of engineering and managing large-scale networks and more than two decades of astrophotography, and he is on site keeping systems stable and helping members whenever hardware needs a hand on it. Support is owner-run, with no ticket queue.

Chris images from the site too. His LDN 1622 in Orion was featured as NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, which says a lot about what this sky can do.

Stay on site: the bunkhouse and the big visual scopes

You can ship your gear and let us install it, or come out and set it up yourself. Members doing their own setup stay free in the on-site bunkhouse, which has a full kitchen, a bathroom, two bedrooms and a living area, so you can spend the day on cabling and balance and the night checking your first frames.

The DSP Remote bunkhouse, a tan steel building with a covered porch, alone on open desert with mountains on the horizon — The bunkhouse, with a full kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and a living area for visiting members, and nothing but desert and mountains around it.

And when your rig is running, step outside and look up. Members can spend the night at the eyepiece of one of our large visual telescopes, including the 30-inch Obsession Dobsonian, in guided sessions under the same Bortle 1 sky.

Reserve a pier in Observatory 21

Observatory 21 will open in the next few months, and now is the time to claim a place in it. Contact Ed Thomas through our contact page or at info@dspremote.com and tell him about the mount and telescope you plan to host. Plans and kit sizes are on the plans and pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

When will Observatory 21 open?

Construction is well under way, and Observatory 21 is expected to be finished in the next few months. We will post an update on this blog when it opens.

Where is DSP Remote?

DSP Remote is near Animas, in southwestern New Mexico, under Bortle 1 skies with over 286 clear nights a year.

How do I reserve a pier in Observatory 21?

Contact Ed Thomas through the contact page or at info@dspremote.com, and tell him about the mount and telescope you plan to host. Plans and kit sizes are on the plans and pricing page.

Can I install my own equipment on site?

Yes. You can ship your gear for a professional install, or travel to the site and set it up yourself with help from our team, staying free in the on-site bunkhouse (full kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and a living area) while you work.

Who looks after my telescope once it is installed?

Chris Fellows, DSP Remote co-founder and technical director, handles on-site support. Support is owner-run, with no ticket queue.