By MACKENZIE TATANANNI FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Arizona observatory is offering a $1,350 stargazing SLEEPOVER, complete with dinner, dorms and your own private astronomer to explain constellations
An Arizona observatory is providing unrivaled views of the night sky as part of a thousand-dollar package that offers guests the full astronomer experience.
The National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, a federally-funded research center, has been welcoming overnight visitors for almost three decades.
The Overnight Telescope Observing Program, or OTOP – which starts at $945 for a single room and reaches up to $1,350 for a double – appoints four guests ‘visiting astronomers’ at one of three designated telescopes. ‘We are a working observatory. Every night our domes are open, doing science, while our Visitor Center program is another part of our mission to educate and inform the public,’ said Michelle Edwards, Associate Director at Kitt Peak National Observatory.
Upon making the trek to the mountaintop campus, 56 miles outside Tucson, visitors will become acquainted with the premises before hunkering down until dark, when the real fun begins.
A visit runs from 3pm to 11am the following day. Upon arrival at the Visitor Center, guests are introduced to their telescope operator, who will lead them to their dorms in a rustic building styled like a 1950s motel.
‘These accommodations are ones the astronomers have been using for decades. You’re basically staying where the astronomers stay,’ Edwards explained.
After settling in, guests normally reunite with their guide to watch the sunset. As soon as a telescope becomes available, visitors are unleashed upon the night sky.
The telescope operator will help them use the powerful scientific instruments and locate certain deep-sky objects. Guides, who are astronomy enthusiasts themselves, may compile an observing list, or leave it up to the guests.
‘Obviously, planets are very popular, so if Jupiter or Saturn are available, we’ll be looking at them,’ said Angel Singleton, Kitt Peak Visitor Center supervisor.
Around this time of year, she says, the Orion Nebula is one of the most spectacular objects in the winter sky, containing hundreds of glittering infant stars.
Other highlights include Messier 13, a globular star cluster that forms a frozen firework when viewed through a telescope.
Prospective visitors are encouraged to inquire in advance if certain objects will be visible on their trip, as parts of the sky will not be above the horizon on a given night and some objects may be too faint.
However, no prior experience is necessary to participate, as ‘you don’t have to be an expert in astronomy,’ according to Edwards.