South Mountain Community College Unveils New Campus Observatory South Mountain Community College invites the public to come and view the celestial heavens through the lens of its new Desert Skies Observatory telescope on Thursday evening, November 20 at 7:30 p.m. SMCC students and faculty will be on hand to show off the new observatory, and assist visitors in viewing the night sky. The session will be limited to 100 spectators, and will last approximately 90 minutes. Admission is free! Public stargazing events at the new observatory will be held on campus on a regular basis throughout the year.