Observatory, high-power telescope in Gilbert

Distant galaxies from millions of light years away will come into view Saturday as Gilbert becomes a new East Valley hub for space research, education and observation.

The East Valley Astronomy Club already has called the town its home, where members have long held viewing parties with personal telescopes as they seek to make new discoveries and examine the cosmos from the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch.

On Saturday, a new and far more powerful 16-inch reflector lens telescope will be unveiled in the park’s new Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory, across a lake from the Southeast Regional Library.

The observatory houses likely the most powerful public telescope in the East Valley, experts said, and has the power to see detail on Jupiter and colorful double stars that shed light on distant planetary systems. The Riparian Institute raised funds for the $100,000 project, which included the Rotary Club as a major sponsor.

“I think it’s already becoming (a hub),” Gilbert spokesman Greg Svelund said. “This will definitely take us that additional step.”

Astronomy experts and hobbyists are seeking to use the new center to re-inspire a societal love of space that has waned over the decades, and say they plan to research new cosmic discoveries.

“There’s more than just the sky overhead,” said Steven Aggas, president of the club, an engineer from Gold Canyon who’s studied astronomy for 20 years and is building a 36-inch telescope at his home. “We have our place in the galaxy. And then our galaxy is one of millions of galaxies — the majority of which you can actually see in the telescope. Some are magnificent spirals. Others, tiny smudges.”

Steven Kates, a science journalist known as “Dr. Sky” on his nationwide radio and TV shows, including KTVKTV (Channel 3), will host the Saturday “First Light” event, which has attracted taperecorded and live phone interviews with top scientists and explorers in the space and aviation industry. Tickets for the event are $30, and include food and a first look into the telescope.

Special guests Kates invited for on-screen live or taped presentations include journalist Hugh Downs and astronaut Buzz Aldrin — as well as an unannounced special guest.

Local company Star Systems will supply its prototype of a future commercial spacecraft for guests to view.

Kates said the observatory could be used to educate and inspire the public about space travel and science. He is seeking to hold regular telescope events, where residents could interview “world-class” space explorers and experts over the phone to talk about science, including space, weather, astronomy and aviation.

“Our future is definitely in space,” Kates said.

Following the event, the astronomy club will man the telescope on Fridays and Saturdays, aiding and educating members of the public who visit the observatory, in return for a $3 donation. Special reservations can also be made through the group.

“It should be a great asset,” Aggas said. “Now they have a centralized location that they know, if something special is happening in the sky, they can go there, and find the knowledgable people to explain what is going on.”

Gilbert mom Laurie Lamoureaux said the observatory would be a great place for field trips, and she and daughter Nicole, 8, played at the Riparian Preserve, near its white and gray dome on Monday.

Nicole said she is fascinated by the vast space outside the Earth. “It’s so big,” she said. “And it’s all around us.”

For more information, visit

www.riparianinstitute.com, www.drsky.com or www.eastvalleyastronomy.org.