Governor Aker Observatory

Governor Aker Observatory, on Eastern Arizona College’s Discovery Park Campus in Safford, Arizona, opened on November 18, 1995, as the first attraction at Discovery Park. Built as more than a telescope dome, it features a 20-inch Cassegrain reflector telescope, an astronomy exhibit gallery, a simulated journey through the Solar System aboard a “space shuttle,” and a camera obscura described as one of the world’s largest. The observatory also conducts tours of the Mount Graham International Observatory, serving both education and public outreach by connecting hands-on astronomy experiences in Safford with research in the nearby mountains.

Safford, Arizona · United States