Unique astronomy-themed B&B in Osoyoos closes its doors after 23 years

For more than two decades an astronomy-themed bed and breakfast in the Okanagan provided guests with not only a place to spend the night, but a tour of the universe. 

Observatory B&B patrons gazed at the cosmos from an ultra high-definition telescope perched on the roof for the last time this weekend. 

Amateur astronomer Jack Newton and his wife Alice, who own the B&B in Osoyoos, about 400 kilometres east of Vancouver, are retiring. Jack said his favourite part of running the business has been showing guests outer space for the first time. 

"It just blows their socks off," Jack said. "To be able to do that gives me so much pride and excitement."

Guests have seen the sun, moon, stars, planets, meteor showers, and other deep-sky objects up close through the telescope.

Because it has such a high resolution, guests have been able to see hundreds of stars even in the daytime. And his second smaller telescope, called a Hydrogen Alpha telescope, allows an up-close view of the sun and its eruptions. 

 "It's the pure joy of understanding where you are . . . it's spectacular," he said. 

Alice said many guests have an emotional reaction to exploring the sky for the first time, and describe it as a life-changing experience. 

"You can take a look at Saturn and get goose bumps," Alice said. "They really knew they were looking in space then."

Above all, Alice and Jack said they will miss their guests, who range from professional to amateur astronomers to people with little astronomical knowledge who are simply intrigued.

The couple has seen children grow up as they host them over the years and then bring their own children to learn about space. 

Jack said he plans to continue looking at the universe through his scope almost every night. 

"The sky is always there, but we never get tired of it," he said. 

Patrick Parenteau and his wife first visited the B&B in 2001 on a spontaneous trip to the Okanagan after their travel plans were cancelled following 9/11.