It would not be surprising to discover if Neil deGrasse Tyson or Bill Nye were each living in a dome-shaped home that holds an expansive observatory. These science guys and television presenters hang out with the stars, in the literal sense, and so, it’s understandable if each one were to have a home theater built for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and to facilitate celestial navigation training. But what if you yourself were able to live in a luxury home with your own private observatory that would literally bring the stars home to you? Indeed, it's possible to personally experience the starry, starry nights and to view the celestial heavens from the comforts of your home.
In anticipation of the upcoming Orionids Meteor Shower, those “shooting stars” that will streak through the night sky on October 21st, here are three estates across the United States that each share a unique feature sure to delight any astronomy buff: in-house observatories that are ideal spaces for experiencing those starry nights and meteor showers.
Lake Creek, Colorado
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Perfect for the inquisitive scholar with an astronomical bank account, this Colorado mansion comes outfitted with an array of hobby-retreat features: an indoor tropical greenhouse, a fleet of solar panels, a geothermal cooling system adjustable via iPad, and, most of all, a telescope observatory to enjoy some stellar stargazing.
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Laguna Niguel, California
www.ocregister.com
This Mediterranean-style house doesn’t just look out onto some undulating hills and the Pacific Ocean. The home itself is a sanctuary: the swimming pool and spa boast a waterfall and grotto, and the grounds that expand approximately a third of an acre, include a fire pit, rose garden and fruit trees. Could it get any more appealing? Yes. The home also offers a personal view of the cosmos – from its custom-built, private observatory.
www.ocregister.com
The 6,073-square-foot home in Ocean Ranch also has four bedrooms, a living room with a 28-foot ceiling and an expansive adjoining room that includes a bar with a pass-through window. Upstairs is the master suite with a fireplace, massive balcony and en suite bathroom with Crema Marfil marble floors and a double steam shower.
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A spiral staircase in the stately office leads to the observatory. There in the observatory is a mounted telescope that aims skyward through an opening located at the top of a rotunda. This grand telescope includes a GPS feature to assist tracking the planets and stars. If you're an astronomy buff or a Trekki, you'll also appreciate that the real-time celestial images are able to be transmitted to the many television screens throughout the house.
Emigrant, Montana
Photo by David O. Marlow
This 500-acre Montana spread, formerly owned by Dennis Quaid, is surrounded by Aspen and fir trees and quietly sits in Paradise Valley. The property sports a massive main house, four guest houses, horse facilities and a number of historic gold mines scattered throughout the grand-style estate.
Photo by David O. Marlow
This lofty dude ranch also boasts a detached wood-paneled observatory perfect for soaking up those starry, starry nights.
Photo by David O. Marlow
Home-on-the-range nightly rituals in this home surely call for a snifter of cognac in one hand and a telescope in the other. Lassoing the moon and the stars has, indeed, become real.
Photo by David O. Marlow
The spacious master bedroom suite once housed a stunning black-painted bed frame draped in Tibetan colors of tangerine and crimson red - evidence that Montana's serenity reigns inside this home as well as the outdoors.
The bed actually once belonged to Sandra Bullock. Quaid caught an ad Bullock had placed because she was moving to another house in Austin, Texas, and this bed she’d purchased for her new house didn’t fit. It turns out, celebrities are just like you - at times, reselling their furniture.
Photo by David O. Marlow
Fireworks were once displayed when Quaid owned this Montana mansion. Celestial delights, above and below the limitless Montana sky, never become obsolete.
