Imagine the thrill of viewing the universe through a 27-inch-diameter telescope from right here in Fountain Hills. Or seeing the structure of the observable universe – with its planets, star clusters, nebulae, black holes, galaxies and more – projected onto the large dome of a planetarium. Or being immersed in the landscape and sounds of the desert at night and discovering what’s hidden there.

For people who may have missed the front-page announcement in The Times Independent’s Dec. 6 edition, all of this and more are coming to Fountain Hills! The International Dark Sky Discovery Center (IDSDC) will break ground opposite the Fountain Hills Community Center in March or April 2024, and construction of this 23,000-square-foot public facility will take slightly over a year. This exciting STEM education project will include a large telescope observatory, a planetarium, a 150-seat theater, a classroom and an interactive night sky experience zone. It will inspire scientists, educators, students and interested public from all over Arizona, the U.S. and the world to visit Fountain Hills.  

If you want to receive occasional email updates about exciting developments as this amazing facility is being built, just visit our website at darkskycenter.org and click on the “Contact” tab, then “Subscribe.”

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.