Tooele County is ideal for stargazers

Looking directly at the sun is normally frowned upon and studying the details of clouds on Jupiter is usually reserved for NASA experts, but for years the Salt Lake Astronomical Society has provided Tooele County with the opportunity to do just that.

When the Stansbury Park Observatory Complex, fondly referred to as SPOC, opened in 1977, it was nothing more than a single telescope. In 2002, the Harmons grocery store chain put some funding forward to build a new observatory and NASA Solar System Ambassador to Utah Patrick Wiggins added the Donna Pease Refractor House in 2006, named after his mother.

The complex, owned and operated by SLAS, houses four telescopes, including the biggest telescope open to the public in the state of Utah and a solar telescope filter allowing for glimpses into “our star” as Wiggins puts it.

“The very fact that we’ve got this equipment at all makes SPOC unique,” said Wiggins. “There’s very few astronomical societies in the country that have what we do and make it available to the public.”

The observatory almost didn’t end up in Stansbury when the project was first being developed. SLAS wanted to co-locate the observatory next to the KTVX transmission station in the tops of the Oquirrh Mountains, but Wiggins said KTVX said no.

Instead, Bruce Grim, one of the founding fathers of the observatory, approached Stansbury Park to ask for some land for the observatory. SLAS was granted a 99-year lease to locate the observatory where it currently stands.

“One of these days we’re going to write a thank you letter to Channel 4 for turning us down,” Wiggins said.

The location for the observatory in Stansbury Park is a great compromise location according to Wiggins. It’s far enough away from Salt Lake City to avoid a lot of light pollution, but not so far that people won’t travel to see it.

The same can be said for Tooele County stargazing.

“It’s a trade-off,” Wiggins said. “We had some club members go out to the Salt Flats to watch the Perseid meteor shower, but you can see a lot just in downtown Tooele. Obviously there’s less local light the farther west you are in the Tooele Valley, but why go anywhere else with this facility right here in Stansbury?”

SPOC hosts SLAS Star Parties about every two weeks, allowing the public to catch a glimpse of galaxies, nebulae, planets, and of course, stars. The parties start around dusk and last until 11 p.m. Members of the community can bring their own telescope and set it up or have someone with SLAS help set it up.

“The public loves to look at the moon, but we’ve got Jupiter that will be up for the rest of the season too,” said Wiggins. “With our telescopes you can see phenomenal details on the clouds of Jupiter and watch the storms.”

SPOC is open to the public for star and sun parties, or for school field trips, but anyone who’s been a member of SLAS for over six months can obtain a key to the observatory and the equipment. Members pay a yearly fee of $20, which covers all immediate family members.

Although the summer season is winding down, it doesn’t mean stargazing ends for the year too. SPOC’s last star party will be Oct. 11, as the observatory closes down for the winter months, but according to Wiggins, winter is just as ideal for stargazing.

“In the winter, the skies are clearer and cleaner,” he said. “All of the asteroids I’ve discovered I’ve done in the winter time.”

Some fellow stargazers might be concerned that Tooele County growth might lead to added light pollution, but Wiggins isn’t worried. He thinks that as people’s understanding and awareness of energy efficiency grows, so will the resources for keeping light pollution under control.

If there is a steady trend, it’s the interest the community has in astronomy, and Wiggins said he has seen great support from the community.

“I think kids like astronomy and dinosaurs,” said Wiggins. “As we get older those interests have to give way to practical things sometimes, but the space program continues to be very popular in Utah.”

For more information on SPOC and SLAS, visit www.slas.us.

Natalie Tripp: ntripp@tooeletranscript.com