RMNP Announces Astronomy Festival on Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3, 2024
Rocky Mountain National Park’s 2024 Astronomy Festival is happening on Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3, 2024. Participants will enjoy interactive daytime activities, evening presentations, and night sky telescope viewing opportunities. The 2024 Astronomy Festival is a celebration of dark night skies, the field of Astronomy and night sky stewardship.
On both August 2 & 3, this special event will start with interactive daytime activities and solar viewing opportunities on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park at Fall River Visitor Center. During the evenings on both the west and east sides of RMNP, attend engaging presentations offered by special guest speakers and enjoy looking at many different features of the night sky using telescopes.
Evening presentations will take place on the west side of RMNP at Kawuneeche Visitor Center. On the east side of the park, presentations will take place at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and at Glacier Basin Campground.
Special guest speakers will include:
-Arlin Bartels, Senior Project Manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
-Dr. Fran Bagenal, UC Boulder, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Sciences
-Dr. Erica Ellingson, UC Boulder, Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences
-Dr. Li-Wei Hung, NPS Night Skies and Natural Sounds Program
-Deb Price, DarkSky Colorado
-Dave Schlichting, NASA HUNCH Mentor and Grand Astronomy founder
-Dawn Wilson, photographer and writer
Half the park is after dark! During the Astronomy Festival, take time to enjoy the beauty of the night sky.
Telescope viewing will take place on both the east and west sides of RMNP.
On the west side of the park, telescope viewing will begin at 9 p.m. This activity will be hosted by Grand Astronomy at Grand Lake Library in the town of Grand Lake.
On the east side of RMNP, join NPS staff and volunteers beginning at 8:30 p.m. for telescope viewing at Upper Beaver Meadows Parking Area. Participants will drive to the end of Upper Beaver Meadows Road, approximately 2 miles down the dirt road, to Upper Beaver Meadows Parking Area.
On Upper Beaver Meadows Road, expect parking to be limited. Parking is not allowed on vegetation. Shuttles will be available and expect to walk a short distance to get to the event.All participants at telescope viewing activities should be prepared to be outside. Temperatures will drop after dark. It is recommended to wear warm layers and good footwear for walking. Bring water and snacks. Participants should also bring flashlights with a red-light or red-light filter to help protect your night vision.
The park’s 2024 Astronomy Festival is possible thanks to our invited guest speakers, Rocky Mountain National Park’s “Defenders of Darkness” volunteer team, with additional support from the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.
For additional details, including all program descriptions, locations, and times, visit RMNP’s website at https://go.nps.gov/rmnp/nights....
For more information on Rocky Mountain National Park, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.