Delta Grandview Resort officially reopened the Echo Valley Observatory on Monday.

Constructed in 2000, the three-storey domed observatory, which resembles a landlocked lighthouse, is equipped with a state-of-the-art telescope that is capable of revealing objects one million times fainter than the faintest object to the naked eye. This is the first and largest resort-based astronomical observatory in Ontario and is primarily for public viewing of celestial objects. Situated at one of the highest points in Muskoka, the area is renowned for its dark skies free of light pollution. On a clear, dark night, some of the sights you can expect to see are ammonia cloud belts of Jupiter and four of its moons, the rings of Saturn and a half-dozen of its moons, the Orion Nebula as well as many other deep sky objects.

The Echo Valley Observatory is open to the public and guests at Grandview nightly. Tickets for a two-hour session with observatory astronomer Tom Kovacs are $30 each and can be purchased by calling Grandview at 789-4417.