The International Dark Sky Discovery Center (IDSDC) in Fountain Hills has announced the PlaneWave telescope at the observatory is now operational. The first image captured through the telescope is the Dumbbell Nebula and the photo has been released by the center.
The nebula is 1,360 light years from earth, or 8,000 trillion miles. Besides the nebula the telescope captured a multitude of stars and other objects in the image.
The center also recently hosted faculty, researchers, and graduate students from ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration. There was a tour of the Discovery Center and a discussion about future collaborations between the center and the university.
