spectrUM has received funding from NASA to launch a statewide initiative that will place telescopes in 124 public and tribal college libraries across Montana. The project, titled “Big Sky, Bigger Dreams: Telescopes for Montana Libraries,” aims to make space exploration accessible to families, students and amateur astronomers in rural and tribal communities.
Funded through NASA’s TEAM II STEM Innovator Award, the two-year project will provide libraries with user-friendly tabletop telescopes for free checkout, along with training and educational resources for librarians. The initiative also will connect communities with NASA scientists through virtual events and outreach programs.
Montana’s low light pollution and high percentage of rural residents make it an ideal location for amateur astronomy. Libraries serve as trusted community hubs, especially in areas where access to educational programming is limited. The project builds on spectrUM’s previous efforts in collaboration with the Western Montana Astronomical Association, Missoula’s astronomy club, which have already placed 17 telescopes in 13 libraries across the state. Checkout telescopes are outfitted for public use under guidance from the International Library Telescope Program, a collaborator on this project.
Participating libraries will receive user-friendly telescopes intended for public use, along with printed user manuals and access to NASA educational content. Training for librarians will be delivered through the Montana State Library’s Lifelong Learning Program.
The project also will feature statewide observing events at participating libraries such as NASA's International Observe the Moon Night and virtual programs with NASA personnel and affiliates from the Montana Space Grant Consortium. These events will highlight NASA’s upcoming missions and provide opportunities for Montanans to connect with local and national space science professionals.
The material contained in this document is based upon work supported by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) cooperative agreement number 80NSSC25M0061. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASA.
