JACKSON, Wyo. — Snow King Mountain Resort is now closed for the off-season, and the Snow King Observatory and Planetarium (SKOP) will be available to the public on June 1 after the resort reopens for the summer on May 24.
According to Wyoming Stargazing Executive Director Samuel Singer, for several years the organization advocated for an observatory and planetarium on Snow King, and is excited that the vision came to fruition. Jakub Galczynski, a designer working from Ketchum, Idaho, is the design lead and project manager for the project, and worked in partnership with Farmer Payne Architects.
“While there’s several in Europe, this facility is North America’s first ski resort observatory and planetarium,” Singer told Buckrail. “I hope it’s going to become a model for ski resorts all over the country.”
Singer explained that the research-grade PlaneWave telescope, which sits on top of the observatory dome, has a one meter diameter mirror for sky viewing during the day and night. It also houses a camera and an eye-piece, which is unique. With the push of a button, star gazers can divert light back and forth from the camera to the eye-piece. The telescope will be the second-largest in the state, topped only by the University of Wyoming’s telescope.
SKOP is going to be both a public outreach facility and a research facility, according to Singer.
“The telescope is capable of professional level astronomical research, and the University of Wyoming and the University of North Carolina already want to pay for research time,” Singer said. “My guess is that other research universities will be interested in its capabilities.”
The observatory also includes a 24′ AshDome and the Spitz-designed planetarium, which will offer 180 degree projections for films specifically designed to be viewed on its eight-meter domed screen. The planetarium will project in 4K and seats 38 people. The auditorium space seats 40 people and has a large flat screen, galleries with interactive exhibits and an event and classroom space.
“The public can come up year-round and marvel at the wonders of the universe,” Singer said.
