This Western Town Is Now Home to the Only Observatory and Planetarium on a Ski Resort In the U.S.

Take in the wonders of the night sky from the top of Snow King Mountain in Jackson, Wyoming.

Teton County, Wyoming, may be a few years away from achieving International Dark Sky Community certification, but stargazers continue to travel to the Jackson Hole valley (and Grand Teton National Park, in particular) to get their fill of planets, meteors, and the occasional aurora. Its lack of light pollution, high elevation, and low humidity levels provide clear night skies throughout the year.

This summer, the town of Jackson added one more place to take in the nighttime scenes. Snow King Observatory & Planetarium opened on the top of Snow King Mountain, a ski resort just blocks from Town Square. Sitting at an elevation of 8,000 feet, the educational facility is billed as the first observatory and planetarium on a ski resort in the U.S. — and yes, you’ll have to ride a gondola to get there.

The scenic trip from the base of the mountain takes about five minutes and comes with incredible views of the Teton Range, the East Gros Ventre Butte, and the National Elk Refuge. From the top, the planetarium and observatory are just a short walk away.

Armed with either an Observatory Day Experience or Observatory Night Experience ticket, visitors can begin their journey through space. Inside, there’s a 37-seat planetarium theater, interactive exhibits, and expert-led presentations.

The rooftop, however, is where guests get the chance to stargaze. The facility has several small telescopes on the observing deck and a powerful 1-meter observatory-class telescope, which allows for both research and astrophotography. “Even though it's only been a few months since opening the facility, we've already managed to do things like satellite photometry, multi-filter imaging of spiral galaxies, and showing hundreds of people what Saturn's rings look like through an eyepiece,” Joe Zator, the director of Snow King Observatory & Planetarium, told Travel + Leisure.

While you’ll need to book the night experience to see galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae, the daytime activities are equally interesting. “Our rooftop solar telescope provides breathtaking views of the sun… You can see sunspot clusters, huge solar prominences larger than the Earth, and maybe even a coronal mass ejection if you're lucky,” Zator said.

And if you’re hoping to witness an extra-special celestial event from the top of Snow King? Zator has some advice for the timing of your trip. “We can look forward to a possible rare nova explosion in the Corona Borealis constellation this fall, a gorgeous Geminids meteor shower in December, and even seven planets being simultaneously visible in the sky in February,” he says. Plus, there’s a very high chance to see some auroras over the next year as “the northern lights can really kick into gear during the period of solar maximum we're entering.”

Don’t worry if your trip doesn’t align with the above astronomical occurrences, though. According to Zator, there’s still a variety of amazing things to see from the observing deck, especially in the winter: “The snow-capped Tetons provide the perfect backdrop for a sunset followed by gazing at the Moon's craters, captivating planets like Jupiter, and distant galaxies millions of light-years away,” he said.

Snow King Observatory & Planetarium tickets can be purchased on the website, which will be updated to reflect the winter schedule and ticket availability.

Related: The Northern Lights Could Be Extra Intense and Appear More This Year — Here's Why

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