Over 1,000 Gather for Eclipse and Groundbreaking in Fountain Hills
More than 1,000 people looked to the skies and then looked to the future as ground was broken for the International Dark Sky Discovery Center during a massive solar eclipse-watching party in Fountain Hills this week.
The event featured specialized solar telescopes, eclipse experts to explain the science, and a blessing ceremony by an elder from the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Brief remarks were shared by community leaders.
The International Dark Sky Discovery Center will be a 23,000 square foot facility that will include a planetarium, an observatory, an exhibit hall, a theater, and much more. The project is being built by McCarthy Building Companies.
ASU President Michael Crow prepared remarks for the momentous event and said, “This moment marks the physical genesis of a significant, globally impactful site for advancing our understanding of dark skies, and ultimately, our preservation of this important resource.”
Fountain Hills is the 17th community worldwide to have been designated an International Dark Sky Community. It’s one of very few to be so close to a metropolitan area.
State Senator John Kavanagh said, “The Fountain Hills Dark Sky Discovery Center will benefit Arizona in many ways, including becoming a learning destination for middle and high school students from the entire county, an educational tool for university astronomy students, a world-class research facility, a tourist attraction for Fountain Hills, and an economic driver for the surrounding businesses.”
For more behind this Frontdoor, visit darkskycenter.org.
