GUNNISON VALLEY OBSERVATORY, INC.
To provide public access to professional-quality telescopes and astronomy education, promote dark-sky appreciation, support community science engagement and partner with regional institutions for observational research.
About GUNNISON VALLEY OBSERVATORY, INC.
Gunnison Valley Observatory (GVO) is a volunteer-managed, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit located near Gunnison, Colorado, operating a 30-inch Cassegrain reflector as its primary public telescope. The observatory’s facility opened for public viewing in 2008 and expanded with the Ted Violett Memorial Observatory in 2011.
GVO runs seasonal public lecture programs, dome tours, small-group “Premier Astronomy Nights,” and informal telescope viewing that combine formal astronomy talks, hands-on viewing through smaller scopes, museum access, and use of the main dome telescope. The organization partners with local educators and Western Colorado University staff for programming and occasional observational research.
In the last 2–3 years GVO has continued regular summer seasons (Friday/Saturday public nights), maintained a calendar of themed talks (e.g., exoplanets, dark skies, astrophotography), offered deluxe and premier dome tours, and participated in regional dark-sky and astronomy festivals.
Notable achievements
30-inch primary telescope installed
Commissioned and brought into public use as GVO’s primary instrument; central to the observatory’s public viewing program since the facility opened to the public in 2008.
Ted Violett Memorial Observatory added
Construction and outfitting of a secondary observatory (housing a 10" scope with digital imaging capability) expanded GVO’s outreach and imaging/research capacity in 2011.
Established tax-exempt status and community institution
Organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and operating as a long-running community observatory that regularly hosts seasonal programs and regional collaborations.
At a glance
- Total assets
- $89K
- Annual revenue
- $19K
- Tax status
- 501(c)(3)Public charity
- EIN
- 01-0631470
- Location
- Gunnison, CO
- On Mahalo since
- November 2025
Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.
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