During 2019 Fountain Hills set its sights on the stars as residents began a journey to become the home of the proposed International Dark Sky Discovery Center (IDSDC).

In October an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 300 listened as IDSDC President Joe Bill outlined the proposal to build the astronomical education facility in the Fountain Hills civic center. Bill warned that like any trek to the cosmos, bringing the facility to the community will be a long, arduous and expensive journey.

There is no public money proposed for this project and the fundraising goal is $18 million from private donors. That goal should get the doors open and provide operating funds for a few years, according to Bill.

The project plan is a 15,000 square-foot facility to include an observatory, planetarium, theater and an immersion zone with interactive dark sky exhibits. The observatory is to have a 27.5-inch PlaneWave telescope, which would be the only research grade telescope in the Phoenix area.

The IDSDC facility has the endorsement and support of Arizona State University and the Arizona Office of Tourism, and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has made a statement of support.

IDSDC Vice President Ted Blank is a Fountain Hills resident and NASA Solar System Ambassador. He is founder of the Fountain Hills Astronomy Club. Blank said the Discovery Center will be like no other facility in the world.

“No other facility focuses on dark sky preservation as a portal to better understanding astronomy, the space program, the universe and the importance of having dark skies for life on earth,” Blank said.

As 2019 comes to a close Bill reports that some preliminary contact has been made with potential donors for the project, but emphasizes that even willing participants can have a long process in getting to the financial support.