To wonder if there is life outside of our solar system is the stuff of fantasy. To spend a unique evening with friends exploring galaxies and enjoying your own private star party, well, it's out-of-this-world fun. Fortunately, here in Montana, you don't have to be a NASA scientist or travel far to go beyond our big sky. Ideally situated along the banks of Canyon Ferry Lake sits a large public-use telescope in Montana at the Montana Learning Center.
The Montana Learning Center is an extraordinary organization whose goal is to teach and promote quality immersion experiences for all in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. They proudly offer astronomy programs that give enthusiastic stargazers an inside look at what is above our Montana skies. It's a unique opportunity to explore the universe and see galaxies and nebula up close on state-of-the-art-telescopes. You can even book a private star party and reserve telescopes for your own personal use or bring a group of friends to share in an evening of marveling at the heavens. (Groups of up to six welcomed.)
The Center's newest telescope, a 14-inch DeltaRho by PlaneWave Instruments, features a 24-megapixel camera. This game-changing wide-field telescope is perfect for photographing deep space. Can you imagine what it's like to take pictures of star clusters that are light years away from the earth? With this telescope, you can! It lets you capture the cosmos in a way that you would never be able to with an ordinary lens. The cost of reserving the DeltaRho is $600 an evening. There is also a $75/hour instruction fee that includes the first two hours of a nightly rental.
The second telescope available for reservation is Montana Learning Center's 25-inch telescope. It is the largest public-use telescope in Montana. Through its remarkable lens, you'll be able to see spectacular nebulae and distant galaxies like you have never seen before. It's incredible for cruising the Milky Way and viewing sizeable deep sky objects. The cost of reserving this telescope is $500 an evening. And there is also a $75/hour instruction fee that includes the first two hours of a nightly rental.
If gazing at the universe's wonders with a private viewing is on your wish list, then reserving a telescope at Montana Learning Center's state-of-the-art astronomical park is a must-do experience. To learn more and book a telescope, visit https://montanalearning.org/astronomy/.