Adirondack Sky Center Awarded Grants for
AstroScience Center and Education

Tupper Lake, NY – The Adirondack Sky Center (aka the Adirondack Public Observatory) has been awarded three grants to support the AstroScience Center museum and planetarium construction and education programs. Situated on four acres of raised land in the northerly area of Tupper Lake, the Adirondack Sky Center benefits from some of the most accessible, darkest, and most pristine skies east of the Mississippi River. Interest from across the northeast as well as the local community has spurred the organization to aim to establish a permanent Adirondack center for astronomy and space science, the AstroScience Center. Complementing the Wild Center natural history museum, the Adirondack Sky Center will greatly expand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning in the region, while also strengthening the appeal of the Adirondacks as a meaningful travel destination.

The AstroScience Center museum, which organizers anticipate will open in five years, is the second building being constructed to comprise the Adirondack Sky Center campus on Big Wolf Road. The Observatory was completed in 2013, the Learning Lean-to will be completed this year, and a 24” reflecting Research Telescope will cap the project. The science center will provide astronomy-related experiences for visitors, day or night, in clear or cloudy weather, including a Planetarium, Lecture Hall, Interactive Classroom, and much more.
Thanks to support from State Senator Betty Little, the Sky Center will receive $200,000 toward the AstroScience Center building through the State and Municipal (SAM) Facilities program. The J.M. McDonald Foundation also awarded timely support for design and construction work on the project.

Fun, hands-on education activities are now offered year-round in the Sky Center Activity Room at the organization’s Office and Gift Shop, 36 High Street in Tupper Lake and in other local venues. Select activities will be supported in 2019 by a grant from the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, which is "dedicated to improving the quality of life for year-round residents of the Adirondack Park."

Board President Carol Levy noted “The Adirondack Sky Center is grateful to these supporters for being partners in our Capital Campaign and Education Programs. Their investments indicate to us a strong belief in the importance of this project.” Individuals can contribute to the project through adirondackskycenter.org, on Facebook, or by calling (518) 359-3538.

Rendering of planned AstroScience Center