Take a look at me now: Whitehorse observatory opening to public later this year

There's not much stargazing in Yukon this time of year.

But by the time autumn rolls around again, with its longer, darker nights, the stargazing will be much better — especially at a new public observatory.

"We might be able to open by the end of August," said Vikki Zsohar of the Yukon Astronomical Society.

The society has just secured the funding needed to make renovations to its observatory site near the Takhini Hot Springs outside of Whitehorse. Zsohar said they received just over $50,000 through Yukon's community development fund.

Two years ago, the society built a concrete pad at the site using privately raised funds. There's a three-metre-diameter dome there now, with a telescope, but the public can't use the facility. The new money will pay for renovations to the dome, new washroom facilities, and other improvements. 

"We have to make sure that the site will be safe for the public, so we have to make sure there will be railings installed, and there will be other requirements that need to be met as well," Zsohar said.

Zsohar, who helped found the Yukon Astronomical Society just three years ago, with the goal of building an observatory "for Yukoners to come and see the universe together," couldn't be more pleased.

"I think there will be a lot of interest," Zsohar said. "Everybody seems to be very supportive."

'I just got hooked'

Zsohar is an avid sky-watcher who recalls growing up in Hungary and moving with her family to the edge of the city, where there was less light pollution.

"I looked out of my window and I just discovered, 'Oh, there are stars,'' said Zsohar. "And I just got hooked forever to the stars."

Zsohar hopes the new public observatory will be popular for tourists as well as locals. She imagines parents bringing their kids to explore the night sky, and maybe getting hooked on the stars and planets like he did.

The observatory dome will house an 11-inch diameter Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, a "semi-professional telescope with superior quality of image rendering," according to Zsohar.

"There are incredible details you can see — in the bands of Jupiter, or the rings of Saturn, or the moon itself."

The Takhini Hot Springs area is ideal for the facility, Zsohar said.

"A little bit less cloud, more starry nights. And of course it's more far away from light polluted areas, [such] as Whitehorse downtown."

The goal is to have all the work done by late August, in time for the Yukon Astronomical Society's annual "star party."

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