Boise State observatory dome becomes fully automated after $120,000 renovation

The observatory atop the Boise State Education Building is now fully automated.

The facility, which has operated since 1977, completed a two-year renovation in late July 2026.

Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty member Brian Jackson launched a $120,000 fundraising campaign in 2024 to automate the dome and modernize the research equipment.

The project replaced the previous manual tracking system with a robotic mount and a computerized dome control panel.

Jackson stated that the vast majority of the funding came from private donors and community members.

He noted that the support demonstrated strong local enthusiasm for the university's astronomical facilities.

The new system allows researchers to select a celestial object on a computer, after which the telescope and dome rotate together to locate it.

A panel in the circular roof slides open to reveal a rectangular window, while the top half of the dome rotates to follow the target.

Student researchers are currently using the upgraded equipment to study exoplanets through Jackson’s Vertically Integrated Projects course.

Fourth-year astrophysics students Anna Humphrey and Lucas Combs participate in the Short-Period Planets Group, an international collaboration.

The team investigates whether tidal decay shrinks the orbits of planets that orbit very close to their host stars.

Combs said the researchers aim to prove that this decay exists and eventually leads to a collision with the star over time. "We want to see that happen," Combs said. "Being able to get the data and process it ourselves makes our research feel even more important," Humphrey said. "Using the (observatory) telescope means we have a lot more of a role in data processing," she added. "The experience itself is awesome, and what we're doing feels like we're contributing to something bigger," Combs said. "I just immediately knew I had to get all the experience I possibly could right off the bat," said third-year student Emily Sjostrom. "It's helped me see what life after university doing research in an actual job would be like," Sjostrom said. "When you see (space) with your actual eye, you know it's real in a way that can be a little harder to convince yourself of when you see something online," Jackson said. "You realize 'Oh wow, that's really a place. That's somewhere you could be,'" he said. "Well, space is cool," Jackson said. "I don't think you have to convince people of that," he said. "When people stick their eyeball on the back of a big telescope and they get to see the moons of Saturn, the bands of Jupiter or the Orion Nebula for the first time, they're like 'Oh yeah, I totally get it.' You don't have to explain anything," Jackson said. "We have a couple of telescopes we set out on the deck to do astronomical observing, and we've been doing that for a couple of years," Jackson said. "Now that the dome is automated, we can do both and use the telescope facilities inside the observatory to do lots of different kinds of research projects," he said. "I was very impressed by how much community support we got for the project," Jackson said. "The vast majority of the $120,000 came from private donors, community members. It's been very gratifying to see how much enthusiasm and support there is in the community for this kind of facility development at the university," Jackson said.