Boyden also makes use of members of ASSA Bloemfontein Centre, the amateur astronomy club of the city, for presenters and telescope assistants.

Significant work done at Arequipa include the discovery of Phoebe, an outer moon of Saturn, by William Henry Pickering using photographic plates captured with the 24 in (61 cm) Bruce Astrograph.

[7] Financial issues at Harvard almost led to the closure of Boyden in 1954, but several European countries became partners in funding and using the observatory.

This upgrade included a new control system, modifications to the mirror cell, and a new primary light shield.

[26] Facilities include the main building where the original offices were and where the library is, the resident astronomer's house, a state-of-the-art auditorium seating 100 people inside and 200 people on its roof for open-air sky shows, the main telescope buildings, smaller telescope buildings, a lecture room, store room, the ASSA Bloemfontein clubhouse, observation platforms, and various vantage points.

Long term plans include the construction of a digital planetarium and the completion of the fully-fledged Science Hall.