An artist’s rendering shows the planned AstroScience Center planned for the Adirondack Sky Center site in Tupper Lake.

TUPPER LAKE — The Adirondack Sky Center, also known as the Adirondack Public Observatory, has been awarded three grants to build a AstroScience Center museum and planetarium, as well as education programs.

The AstroScience Center museum, which organizers anticipate will open in five years, is the second building being constructed to comprise the Adirondack Sky Center campus on Big Wolf Road. The observatory was completed in 2013, a Learning Lean-to will be completed this year, and a 24-inch reflecting research telescope will cap the project.

Thanks to support from state Sen. Betty Little, the Sky Center will receive $200,000 toward the AstroScience Center building through New York’s State and Municipal Facilities program.

“In so many ways, the Adirondacks inspire,” Little said. “We are blessed with an abundance of natural resources to enjoy during the day and, at night, an ideal environment for stargazing. I am very pleased to secure funding for this project which will bring more visitors to our region to learn about and enjoy our incredible night skies.”

The J.M. McDonald Foundation also awarded timely support for design and construction work on the project. The amount of that grant was not immediately available.

Select activities will be supported in 2019 by a $2,254 grant from the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, which is “dedicated to improving the quality of life for year-round residents of the Adirondack Park.”

“The Adirondack Sky Center is grateful to these supporters for being partners in our Capital Campaign and Education Programs,” Adirondack Sky Center board President Carol Levy said. “Their investments indicate to us a strong belief in the importance of this project.”

Hands-on educational activities are now offered year-round in the Sky Center Activity Room at the organization’s office and gift shop at 36 High St. in Tupper Lake and in other local venues.

Situated on 4 acres of raised land in the northerly area of Tupper Lake, the Adirondack Sky Center benefits from some of the darkest pristine skies east of the Mississippi River, yet in a road-accessible region.

The Adirondack Sky Center aims to establish a permanent Adirondack center for astronomy and space science, the AstroScience Center. Complementing the Wild Center natural history museum, the Adirondack Sky Center plans to greatly expand science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning in the region while also strengthening the appeal of the Adirondacks as a meaningful travel destination. The science center intends to provide astronomy-related experiences for visitors, day or night, in clear or cloudy weather, including a planetarium, lecture hall and interactive classroom.

Individuals can contribute to the project through adirondackskycenter.org, on Facebook or by calling 518-359-3538.