UNM–Taos is building Cielo Centro, an astronomy hub to inspire the public and train future workers for New Mexico’s space industry. The first phase—an outdoor amphitheater for astronomy presentations—is fully funded with $2.5 million and is expected to open next summer. A planned observatory with a roll-off roof is estimated to cost more than $5 million, and the center will host the largest publicly accessible telescope in the state, capable of gathering about 23,000 times more light than the human eye.
UNM–Taos Launches 'Cielo Centro' — New Astronomy Hub to Inspire Students and the Public
TAOS, N.M. — The University of New Mexico–Taos is developing Cielo Centro, a public astronomy hub designed to spark curiosity, expand science education, and prepare students for careers in New Mexico's growing space industry.
"I can almost guarantee that the first time you show somebody the craters on the moon, or the rings of Saturn, or the moons of Jupiter, you get a 'wow,'"
The project has already broken ground on its first phase: an outdoor amphitheater for astronomy presentations, lectures and community programming. That phase is fully funded with $2.5 million in combined local and state support and is expected to open next summer.
UNM–Taos is raising funds for the second phase — an observatory building with a roll-off roof — projected to cost more than $5 million. The roll-off roof will allow observers to expose the entire sky before zooming in on specific targets for detailed study, improving both public viewing experiences and hands-on student training.
"By having the roll off roof where we expose the whole sky, we can give people an overall feeling of the sky, and then we can look at details,"
Cielo Centro will house a large, publicly accessible telescope capable of gathering roughly 23,000 times more light than the human eye. UNM–Taos says this will be the largest telescope open to the public in New Mexico, enabling visitors to see galaxies tens to hundreds of millions of light-years away.
The center is intended to draw visitors nationwide, expand UNM–Taos's astronomy and science course offerings, and serve as a workforce pipeline into the state’s expanding space sector by providing skills, knowledge and professional networks for learners of all ages.
UNM–Taos also emphasized the project’s role in protecting New Mexico’s dark skies. "We have a very precious resource here. We have currently dark skies. I want to keep it that way," Nicholls said.
Once the amphitheater opens, the university plans to host monthly star parties where the public can view and learn about planets, the Moon, galaxies and stars. For updates and fundraising information, UNM–Taos encourages the public to check the university's official channels.
