WILLIAMS BAY — Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay is raising money to build an astronomy and science-inspired, fully accessible playground.

Yerkes astronomers and staff worked with Monstrum, based in Denmark, to design a unique 7,000 square foot, 26′ tall playground inspired by a supernova–a luminous explosion of a massive star or white dwarf triggered by runaway nuclear fusion.

Yerkes is launching its crowdfunding challenge with the Michael D. and Jolynn Blair Family Foundation.

All donations will be doubled thanks to a challenge grant made by the Blair Family Foundation.

If Yerkes reaches its $50,000 Kickstarter goal the matching grant will double it and provide $100,000 to help us build the Play/Space. And every dollar over the goal will also be doubled, up to a total of a half million dollars.  

Thanks to the Blair family, Yerkes has already raised nearly half of the total project budget of $1.2 million.

You can learn more and donate here