Parks & Rec unveils Idaho’s largest observatory this week. Here’s when you can visit
Idaho State Parks and Recreation will debut a new and improved observatory at Bruneau Dunes State Park on Thursday, but the public will have to wait a bit longer to use it.
The agency will hold a dedication ceremony for the new equipment, which was first announced nearly two years ago, on Thursday.
Officials said park staff will need time to train on the new equipment, which includes a rotating observatory dome and PlaneWave CDK700 telescope with a 700-millimeter aperture. Parks and Rec said the telescope is “a vast improvement over the trusty scope in use for the past 25 years..”
The first public viewing at the new observatory in Bruneau, about an hour south of Boise, will be June 16. The state park typically opens the observatory to the public Friday and Saturday evenings from June through mid-October.
“We can now see farther and with more clarity than ever before,” said Bryce Bealba, park manager. “This gives us a more powerful tool for our visitors to explore the universe.”
According to a news release, the dedication of the new observatory coincides with 25 years of astronomy programming at the park that with its Mars-like landscape is a literal hot spot for research and hiking.
Parks and Rec said the observatory will make the night sky accessible to more visitors. Unlike the existing telescope, which requires visitors to climb a ladder to look through the eyepiece, the new equipment features an eyepiece that’s accessible to wheelchair users. Officials said the new observatory is entirely compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and also features air conditioning for more comfortable viewing.
Agency officials said the new facility will also allow for astronomy experiences when the weather isn’t ideal for stargazing since images and recordings can be projected on the interior of the dome.
Parks and Rec spokesperson Craig Quintana told the Idaho Statesman the 25-year-old telescope that was installed in 1998 will remain at the park. However, the rotating observatory that housed it is “frozen” and out of commission, he said. Park employees can wheel the telescope out of the building for viewings.
Quintana said Parks and Rec recently submitted an application to the International Dark Sky Association to have the state park designated as a dark sky park. The organization works to prevent light pollution and recognizes dark-sky areas around the world, including a dark-sky park at City of Rocks National Reserve that was unveiled earlier this year. Idaho Parks and Recreation partners with the National Park Service to manage the reserve.
If approved, the dark sky park will be the fourth designated pristine night sky area in Idaho: Craters of the Moon National Monument is also a dark sky park, while the Sawtooths in Central Idaho are a dark sky reserve.
The new facility and other park improvements, including a new parking lot, lighting and and landscaping, cost Parks and Rec $2.7 million. Funds came from Gov. Brad Little’s Leading Idaho plan, which was approved last year.
This story was originally published May 31, 2023 at 10:17 AM.
