BRUNEAU, Idaho (CBS2) — An Idaho State Park is opening a new observatory, with the joint-largest telescope in the Pacific Northwest.
Bruneau Dunes State Park dedicated its new observatory Thursday, which will open to the public on the 16th. It's the park's latest addition to its astronomy program which has run for 25 years.
The park's old telescope, which has now been displaced as the largest telescope in the state, is housed in the park's old observatory, a building that rotated to face the desired direction for star-gazing and research. Last fall, while the new facility was constructed, the old observatory's rotating mechanism broke, meaning that the telescope had to be wheeled outside to view the stars.
Inside the new observatory, things are vastly different. The building is built to 'last the test of time' according to Idaho Parks and Recreation spokesperson Craig Quintana. The building features a computer with a station where the telescope itself is controlled, and then the circular observatory in which the telescope is housed.
PlaneWave Instruments designed the telescope. It boasts a 27.56in. aperture (700 millimeters), which Quintana said should vastly improve the viewing experience.
"We're going to be able to see further, more, and sharper... It allows us to do things like video astronomy where you can layer different images on top of one another and then bring out things that you can't see in just a one-and-done look through the viewer," Quintana said.
Another massive upgrade comes in the electronics. The observatory can be controlled completely remotely, enabling the park to launch partnerships for viewing and/or research.
"One of the neatest features that we're still learning about is that there's an opportunity for remote operation," Quintana said. "So we'll be able to create partnerships with NASA, (and) other educational universities. We're talking to Boise State right now, that they'll be able to operate this telescope and do some research when we're not open for our public program."
Accessibility is another big part of the observatory. The new telescope will be retrofitted with a periscope that will come down to wheelchair height, allowing everyone to get the best view of the night sky.
In addition to the observatory, the park has applied to become Dark Sky Certified. Quintana explained what the park has done to meet the criteria.
"Part of that is at the park, all of the lighting is directed toward the ground so it doesn't project a lot of ambient light above," Quintana said. "A lot (of) red light (is present) to preserve night vision so that you're not disturbing that viewing experience for people. And so, you just have to check all those boxes and we think we've done that, so we've sent off a pretty comprehensive application and we hope to hear back in the coming months."
As for cost, $2,700,000 went toward the project, including the parking lot, the building and several other items. The telescope itself takes up $200,000 of that amount.
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