Dark Sky Observatory, Appalachian State University’s observatory in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina, was established in 1981 and supports research, student instruction, and public viewing. Its instruments include a 32-inch Ritchey–Chrétien telescope, an 18-inch Cassegrain used for studies of eclipsing binary stars, the 17-inch Dean Glace Telescope shared with its donor, and the robotic 14-inch DSO-14, assembled in 2009 and linked to the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network to capture optical afterglows of gamma-ray bursts. The observatory has changed over time through telescope relocations, removals, and the 2011 completion of the Cline Visitors’ Center, and remains central to the university’s astronomy program.