Observatories are home to some of the biggest and most impressive telescopes in the world. As many amateur astronomers know, there are numerous ways to experience the night sky beyond looking through a telescope in your own backyard. South Carolina has impressive observatories that offer a wide variety of star parties, tours, and observatory programs that will expand your knowledge of astronomy and your love of the night sky, whether you are new to astronomy or have been in the hobby for years.
For your convenience, we have compiled an alphabetical list of observatories in South Carolina that offer programs for the public.
Disclaimer: This information was collected from the observatories’ websites in June 2025. Some information may be subject to change if the websites are updated. If interested in visiting one of the listed observatories, please contact the observatory for the latest information before you visit.
Charles E. Daniel Observatory
This observatory is located in Greenville, South Carolina and is part of the Roper Mountain Science Center.
Telescopes
The Charles E. Daniel Observatory features a very historic 23″ refractor telescope, the eighth largest of its kind in the nation.
Visiting
As a Greenville County Schools facility, the Daniel Observatory is open to the public only during special events. On select Friday evenings, the observatory is open for limited public observation, in conjunction with programs shown in the planetarium.
Image Credit: RoperMountain.org
FMU Observatory
The FMU Observatory was opened in 1981. Located on the far south end of the Francis Marion University Campus in Florence, South Carolina, it provides visitors with a chance to view the sky through a variety of different instruments and telescopes.
Telescopes
The FMU Observatory features a variety of telescopes such as SkyQuest IntelliScope, Schmidt-Cassegrains, Achromatic Refractor, Schmidt-Newtonian and a Classic Dobsonian.
Visiting
This observatory holds scheduled Public Nights. The schedule for these events can be found on their website here.
Image Credit: Francis Marion University
Melton Memorial Observatory
This observatory is located in Columbia, South Carolina on the Horseshoe of the USC Columbia Campus.
Telescopes
The featured telescope at the Melton Observatory is 16-inch Cassegrain telescope.
Visiting
This observatory holds scheduled Public Nights. Melton Observatory opens on Monday nights from 9:00-11:00 p.m., weather permitting. To find out if the observatory is going to be open on a particular Monday night, you can call the observatory at 803-777-8104.
Image Credit: Robert Brame of Columbia
Interested in finding an observatory or planetarium in your state? Check out our Astronomy Hub!
