Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to offer free astronomy festival
The night skies are a canvas of mystery and ours to explore every night.
Rocky Mountain National Park will host a free Astronomy Festival with speakers, telescope viewing and more Friday and Saturday.
“It’s a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about the sun, the moon and our solar system to ask questions and engage with professionals,” the park’s public affairs specialist, Jamie Richards, said. “We’ll have representatives who work with NASA and scientists in the astronomy field.”
Presentations and telescope viewings will take place on the east and west sides of the park, including at Estes Park’s Upper Beaver Meadows parking area and Fall River Visitor Center, and the Grand Lake Library. Find a complete schedule at nps.gov/romo.
During the day, visitors can use a solar telescope to check out our closest star, the sun, and sun spots. Night viewings, beginning at 8:30 p.m., will offer a range of night jewels.
“August is a wonderful month for viewing the Milky Way,” Richards said. “Around the new moon in late July and August, we get spectacular views of globular clusters, planets and other stars. We’ll look both with our eyes and with telescopes at the sky and point out constellations and get a close view of the moon.”
Speakers include NASA’s Dave Schlichting, on the challenges of space exploration; University of Colorado’s Erica Ellingson, on the science of lunar cycles; and astrophotographer and writer Dawn Wilson.
Li-Wei Hung, a lead astronomer in the National Park Service, and Deb Price, of DarkSky Colorado, will discuss the importance of darkness and how we can reduce light pollution in our backyards.
“A lot of plants and animals need natural darkness as part of their habitat to survive,” Richards said. “Migratory birds rely on natural darkness to migrate. We’ll talk about why it’s important and why we need to preserve and protect it.”
Rocky Mountain National Park will host a free Astronomy Festival with telescope viewing and speakers from NASA, University of Colorado, DarkSky Colorado and more. It’s Friday and Saturday in Estes Park. (Courtesy of Rocky Mountain National Park)