Northumberland Astronomical Society (NASTRO) has taken charge of its very own 14-inch Meade LX200 telescope at their own observatory at Hauxley Nature Reserve.
Funded by a lottery grant, the telescope will allow observers to see deep sky objects like never before.
And members of the society funded the observatory itself, with the group clubbing together to build the wooden construction.
Terry Mullen, member of the society, said: "It is like Kielder's little cousin!
"Outside of Kielder we probably have the biggest, darkest sky in this part of Northumberland."
NASTRO meets at the observatory on the second and last Thursday of each month, excluding December, and now when meetings are being held members of the public will be able to use the facilities as well, for a small donation to the society.
The facility is the closest of its kind to the Kielder project, which was opened to the public in April of this year.
The group, which currently has around 40 members, is always open to anyone interested in joining, from beginners to experts.
For more information about the society and their events visit www.nastro.org.uk