Nome 

Location 

Anvil City Science Academy (ACSA) Pond

The ALISON observatory in Nome is located about 0.5 km from the Anvil City Science Academy (ACSA) and 8 km from downtown Nome. The lake is one of many located among the tailings left behind by the gold dredges that enriched Nome many years ago. The lake is simply known as “The Pond.” Being an old dredge pond, it is quite deep, measuring 9 meters.

Nome itself is located in far Northwest Alaska on the coast of Norton Sound, part of the Bering Sea. The surrounding terrain is characterized as upland tundra, with rolling hills and mountainous terrain measuring up to 1,500 m in height. Vegetation is predominately made up of low-growing shrubs and tundra grasses. Average monthly temperatures range from lows of -19 °C in the Winter to highs of 15 °C in the Summer. The average precipitation is about 50 cm per year.