Great Basin Observatory

The Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership was an early supporter of the Great Basin Observatory project. Spearheaded by the Great Basin National Park Foundation, the Observatory is operated in partnership with Great Basin National Park and four universities: University of Nevada, Reno; Western Nevada College; Southern Utah University; and Concordia University.

The Observatory is the first research-grade astronomical observatory located within a national park, and it takes advantage of the region’s exceptionally dark night skies. The Observatory was dedicated August 25, 2016, in honor of the National Park Service Centennial.

Since then, partner scientists and their students have been conducting research with the telescope while the education and outreach team has developed a stellar “Reach for the Stars” K-12 education program. They have engaged over 1,000 local students and park visitors with hands-on lessons about science and technology.

The goal of the Observatory is to be the spark for students and visitors to appreciate the scale and complexity of the Cosmos. With that sense of awe and wonder, the hope is that people leave inspired to care for and preserve limited natural resources such as the Great Basin’s pristine dark night sky.

Learn more about the Great Basin Observatory.