The last public program at Lake Afton Public Observatory will be from 9-11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22.

The observatory is operated by the Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education, a part of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Science at Wichita State University.

During the past 34 years, LAPO has provided more than a quarter million people the opportunity to look through a 16-inch telescope to see firsthand the moon, Saturn and numerous other celestial objects. Interactive exhibits in a small exhibit area gave visitors an opportunity to discover more about the wonders of space that are not visible through a telescope.

But small crowds and dwindling resources led to the decision to close the facility.

“After 34 years of working with community partners, especially Sedgwick County, to provide astronomy education to our community, the decision to withdraw WSU support from the Lake Afton Public Observatory was extremely difficult,” said Ron Matson, dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Greg Novacek, director of LAPO, cites a number of reasons for declining attendance.

“For many people, easy access, via the Web, of pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope as well as other telescopes and space probes have satisfied their curiosity about space,” said Novacek. “People have commented, ‘Why should I drive out of the city to see something, when I can pull it up on my phone?’”

Novacek also cited various restrictions on school field trips, along with the emphasis on math and reading in recent years, have had an effect on school program attendance.

And the number of choices people have on which to spend their leisure time has increased significantly.

“Today’s reality is that we live in a time of dwindling resources, and often tough choices need to be made on how to best use those limited resources,” said Novacek.