People in Pueblo will have the chance to stare into space and see the wonders of the moon�s surface up close Saturday when the Colorado State University-Pueblo Observatory opens its doors for an open house.

The observatory, a resource for the students and faculty of the university as well as the Pueblo community to gain a better understanding of the night sky, has been closed for more than a year.

�We want the community to know again that the observatory is going to be available for the public,� said Bill Brown, CSU-Pueblo associate professor of physics.

The open house is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the facility, located at the Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center at 5200 Nature Center Road. It�s near the Raptor Center on top of a mesa behind the parking lot.

Brown said the university will be taking contributions for the facility.

�We are trying to get some funding for the observatory, and we will have a peek at the sky, too. The university has set up a website to make anonymous and tax-free donations,� Brown said.

�If the donation is made on Sept. 27, the university foundation will match dollar-for-dollar.�

To make a donation, go to c-fund.us/h0k.

Brown will be handing out flyers about the funding campaign during the open house Saturday.

�The observatory has been here since about 2001. It�s been a great tool,� Brown said.

On Aug. 27, 2003, Mars was at its closest approach to Earth in about 60,000 years. This was an outstanding opportunity for the observatory to host huge crowds from the university and the community. Viewers began coming up to the observatory at dusk to have a look through the large telescope to view Mars and did not stop coming until 1:30 a.m.

�They were walking up the hill just to take a quick peek. Maybe 30 seconds. They didn�t stop until 1:30 in the morning,� Brown said.

Future plans call for equipping the observatory to allow its operation from remote locations, which will ultimately permit schools throughout the region to participate in the inspiring sciences of astronomy and physics.

�We would love to have people come out to enjoy the open house. We hope to be able to offer views of the sky,� Brown said.

The observatory was closed because of technical difficulties caused by lightning, but Brown says those are all fixed.

�We are going to start doing public nights once a month,� Brown said.

�And when special events happen, we will definitely have programs.�

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