The Idaho Dark Sky Alliance celebrates the first lighting of the Sawtooth Observatory this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. It’s happening at Pioneer Park in Stanley, Idaho, where viewers can see the stars through the new telescope.
“Hopefully, we will have a beautiful, clear sky that night and we'll roll the roof off and the telescope. People can look through the telescope to see what's up in the sky that night,” said Carol Cole, a board member of the Dark Sky Alliance.
In 2017, the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve became the first Dark Sky Reserve in the United States. In 2021, the Idaho Dark Sky Alliance was formed as a non-profit organization to coordinate efforts of the reserve. Their mission is to protect the night sky and reduce light pollution.
The Sawtooth Observatory broke ground in May 2025, and just over a year later its unique structure is complete. It was built from repurposed logs and has a roll-off roof. It is a 16-by-20-foot structure.
“The roof actually rolls off onto outriggers,” Cole said. “So that's how it opens the building to the night sky as opposed to having a dome.”
The ceremony this Saturday celebrates when the first light hits the telescope at the observatory. Before, the public will be able to socialize and eat some cookies. The board members will say a few words.
The telescope is a 14-inch Celestron Edge HD telescope with several lenses. It was donated to the Dark Sky Alliance.
At Sawtooth Observatory, just for this special night, a few additional telescopes will be set up, and star guides will help people identify constellations in the sky. Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket.
The Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve is part of an even bigger program called Dark Sky International.
“What [Dark Sky areas] means is all of these entities have agreed to protect their night skies and work toward reducing light pollution,” Cole said.
The Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve works to accomplish this through education and advocacy.
“From a dark sky, you can see so much more and fully appreciate this as well as complete citizen science projects,” said Tim Frazier, Idaho Dark Sky Alliance board member. “And these projects include refining the orbits of asteroids, which is something that is rather important in Earth's existence.”
This research can protect Earth from being hit by asteroids, Frazier said.
The Sawtooth Observatory will hold regular programs going forward. The observatory will be open during these programs.
The 4th Annual Perseid-Palooza will be Aug. 11 at the Sawtooth Observatory where the public can watch the Perseid Meteor Shower.
“We'll talk about where the meteors come from, what comet left the debris, how meteors impact- pun intended- life on Earth,” Frazier said.
The community can look for upcoming public programs at idahodarksky.org.