The Stellar Vista Observatory Working Group was formed in 2018 by Kanab area residents to create a public, educational astronomical observatory to serve visitors to southwest Utah and residents of Kanab and surrounding communities. The organization encourages community participation in SVO events and is open to all.
Clear weather, high altitude, and substantial distance from major cities and sources of light pollution make Kanab and Kane County an ideal location for a nonprofit, public educational observatory.
Kanab’s Stellar Vista Observatory will facilitate learning experiences to serve youth in primary, secondary and post-secondary education as well as adults and the visiting public.
The observatory will provide students of all ages with direct experiences in exploring and studying astronomical objects, something that cannot be experienced from textbooks.
Stellar Vista Observatory in Kanab will become a major attraction for the millions who transit the region each year bound for Lake Powell, Zion, Grand Canyon North Rim, Bryce and other National Parks, Monuments and State Parks of southern Utah and the Arizona Strip. Many will witness for the very first time a clear starry night sky, prompting tourists who might only pass through to spend a night in Kanab.
The building design will be sufficient to comfortably accommodate up to 100 participants for a typical evening program of constellation tours and video presentations on an outdoor sky viewing plaza and viewing deep sky objects and planets through pier mounted telescopes or through one of a number of portable scopes. A 50-seat classroom to facilitate educational lectures and a gift shop will round out its range of features.
