A stellar crowd numbering in the thousands turned out for the International Dark Sky Festival hosted by Fountain Hills Dark Sky Preservation on Saturday, March 28.
Joe Bill, president of the International Dark Sky Discovery Center, teased a grand opening for the Discovery Center with phase two construction to begin soon. Without providing a specific date, Bill said construction would be complete by the end of the calendar year.
The building exterior was completed in July 2025 and the 27.5-inch PlaneWave telescope, the largest telescope in the Phoenix area, was installed at the observatory this past fall. The observatory has been operational, allowing university and research groups access.
