Lake Afton Observatory leased to local enthusiast club

The future of Wichita stargazing is looking bright.

The Lake Afton Public Observatory will reopen after Sedgwick County commissioners agreed Wednesday to lease the property to the Kansas Astronomical Observers.

Harold Henderson, director of the observatory, said the group has been working to take control of the facility since it closed last August. He said it feels good to finally have the keys in their hands.

The observatory, originally operated by Wichita State University, was open for 35 years before it closed in 2015. The university said it could no longer afford the annual costs and that annual attendance had dropped to about half of what it was in 1981.

The Kansas Astronomical Observers plan to defer costs by collecting corporate sponsorships and individual donations. The observatory will be run by volunteers to keep admission prices low.

The group is planning major improvements to the observatory, including interactive touch screens and possibly a chance to experience space via virtual reality glasses.

Henderson said the observatory will likely open around Labor Day weekend. He said he hopes it will bring some fundamental science to the region.

“We can bring some of that bedrock early science stuff, some of those cultural things, not just to the people of Sedgwick County and surrounding areas but to a further range,” Henderson said. “I want to become the center for astronomy education in south-central Kansas.”

For more information and updates on the opening, visit www.lakeafton.com.

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Lake Afton Observatory leased to local enthusiast club."