METRO VANCOUVER -- Burnaby will be home to a new $4.4-million observatory capable of tracking distant galaxies, Simon Fraser University announced Thursday.

The university said the Trottier Observatory, which should be completed at the main SFU campus by August, will be dedicated to engaging children and youth in science.

The observatory, and the newly opened Trottier Studio for Innovative Science Education, are being funded by the Trottier Foundation, headed by Montreal philanthropists Lorne and Louise Trottier.

Lorne's brother Howard Trottier is a professor of physics and astronomy at SFU. He has a passion for astro-photography, and said early Thursday that he felt like a kid again, recalling the first time he gazed up at the stars with his first telescope when he was in Grade 6.

Plans for the observatory have been in the works for more than seven years, but Trottier said it has been worth the wait.

"For me, it's a thrilling experience," said Trottier, founder of SFU's Starry Nights program which brings together students and other amateur astronomers to gaze at the stars from the top of Burnaby Mountain. It also hosts free, daytime telescope and astronomy workshops for grade-school kids.

"The observatory will be an anchor for a science plaza in a location where thousands of people will walk by it," said Trottier of the location at the east end of campus near Strand Hall. The studio is housed in the chemistry wing of the Shrum Science Building.

University classes in astronomy are expected for both science and non-science majors, although there will also be workshops for elementary and high school students, as well as tours for home-schooled youth, he said.

"This is more for amateur astronomers than for professionals, but amateurs do very serious work these days."

As well, would-be astronomers from across Canada will also be able to "look" through the telescope, because the observatory will provide a digital feed that can be remotely accessed by schools and community centres.

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SFU announces plans for $4.4 million observatory on Burnaby campus