Montana's dark skies are about to become even more magical, thanks to an inspiring partnership that's putting the cosmos within reach of every resident across the state.

The Missoula Public Library's spectrUM Discovery Area has teamed up with NASA to distribute 124 telescopes to public and tribal college libraries throughout Montana. This generous initiative, funded by a $250,000 grant from NASA's Team II STEM Innovator Award, transforms the simple act of getting a library card into a gateway to exploring our solar system.

"Montana's great for stargazing because we don't have a lot of very big cities that have a lot of light pollution, so there's a lot of rural places with dark skies that you can see a lot of stars, constellations, planets, etc.," explained Nicholos Wethington, the program's Associate Director.

What makes this program truly special is its commitment to accessibility. Every telescope has been specifically designed to be user friendly, ensuring that anyone, regardless of their experience with astronomy, can point it skyward and discover the wonders above. Whether you're curious about Saturn's rings, want to explore the craters of the moon, or simply gaze at the Milky Way in all its glory, these telescopes remove the barriers that often keep people from exploring space.

The program's roots trace back to 2013 when the first telescope appeared at the Missoula Public Library. That single telescope has been checked out over 200 times, a testament to the community's hunger for celestial exploration. Building on that success, Wethington and the spectrUM team gradually expanded to Western Montana communities like Darby, Stevensville, Ronan, and Thompson Falls. In Hamilton, the telescope proved so popular that the library had to add a second one to meet demand.

The Ripple Effect of this program extends far beyond simply looking at stars. By making astronomy accessible to all Montanans, the initiative plants seeds of curiosity that could blossom into future careers in STEM fields. "It increases access for people to explore astronomy, get inspired about space, maybe work at NASA," Wethington shared, highlighting the program's potential to shape young minds and career paths.

Perhaps most touching is Wethington's personal motivation for the project. "Inspiring them with that sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them and about our universe and just the Milky Way galaxy I think is something that's really important to me," he said.

The program aims to have telescopes available at libraries statewide by mid-September. Once they arrive, checking one out is beautifully simple: present your library card and you can borrow a telescope for up to a week. It's hard to imagine a more democratic way to access the universe.

In communities across Montana, families will soon gather in their backyards, children will press their eyes to lenses in wonder, and adults will rediscover the joy of exploration, all thanks to this thoughtful collaboration between local libraries and NASA that proves the best things in life, including the stars, can indeed be free.