By Lori Dugan
Thatcher, Ariz –Eastern Arizona College’s Discovery Park is once again bringing the cosmos closer to home with the return of guided tours to the Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO), one of the world’s premier astronomical sites.
EAC recently hosted AST-129, a half-credit course on Saturday, May 3, to train new and returning volunteers—known as docents—to lead public outreach tours of the observatory’s three world-renowned telescopes. The official tour season opens Saturday, May 17, and runs through Saturday, October 25, weather and road conditions permitting.
The MGIO tours include rare access to three major research telescopes:
- The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), known for its innovative honeycomb mirror design
- The Submillimeter Radio Telescope (SMT), a key player in the Event Horizon Telescope project that captured the first image of a black hole
- The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), currently the largest and most powerful optical telescope in the world
Tours begin at 9 a.m. at EAC’s Discovery Park Campus and conclude around 4:30 p.m. The experience includes an orientation session, a scenic drive up Mt. Graham in passenger vans, a box lunch at the Columbine Ranger Station, and docent-led tours of each telescope facility.
Each tour is limited to 18 participants. Tickets are $75 per person, with a discounted rate of $60 for seniors over 65, veterans, and youth ages 12–18. Participants must be in good health and able to stand, climb stairs, and handle the 10,500-foot elevation.
For full details, health advisories, and reservations, visit EAC.edu, click “Get Tickets,” and scroll to “Mt. Graham International Observatory Tours.”
