BUFFALO, N.Y. — After a wait of nearly two decades, the stars are back on brilliant display in Buffalo. 

The Buffalo Museum of Science has reopened the Kellogg Observatory and Rooftop after 19 years, making the night sky and all its inhabitants easier to enjoy year 'round. 

The observatory was installed in 1930 but closed to the public in 1999 for updates and repairs. Now the Queen City can once again get a more detailed and closer look at the diamonds in the night sky. 

"It is really quite rare to have an observatory that has the kind of equipment that we are now able to share with the community," said Marisa Wigglesworth, president and CEO of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences. "There are many wonderful science museums in our country but so few have an observatory. This is special and it’s rare and it’s really something for Western New York to be proud of."

The new state-of-the-art technology inside the steel dome will allow spectators to see stars, planets and even other galaxies.　

"There are some very interesting nebulas, places where stars are being formed, places where stars have perished," explained astronomer Tim Collins. "There’s galaxies to look at so there is some very very, a wide array of objects we can look at beyond our own solar system."

The reopening of the Kellogg Observatory and Rooftop marks the completion of the museum's revitalization, officials said. In honor of that, they’ve rebranded, with a new logo and message urging visitors to "find why."

 

 

"Science is about asking questions and it’s questions like why, why does something happen that has moved science forward across the history of our humanity," Wigglesworth said. "The Buffalo Museum of Science is a place where we encourage people to ask questions, wonder why and come here, find some answers, and find your next questions." 

This opening weekend, the museum has extended hours for the observatory from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Moving forward, the observatory will be open Wednesday nights and visitors can come by reservation only. It will also be open Sunday afternoons, no reservations required.