Star Party

Moonrise over Spruce Tree House

Bettymaya Foott

Star Party 2022 - Celebrating Mesa Verde's Dark Skies

 

Dark Sky Festival In-Park Schedule 2022

 

Saturday, September 24th, 7-9 pm
Morefield Campground Amphitheater

National Public Lands Day: Free park entry all day!

7 pm - The Importance of Dark Skies
Ranger Presentation

7:30 pm - Navajo Astronomy & Star Stories
with Ravis Henry, Diné Storyteller from Canyon de Chelly

8 pm - Stargazing & Telescope Viewing
with Dr. Erica Ellingson, CU Professor of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences

Mesa Verde National Park invites community members and park visitors to a Star Party at the Morefield Campground Amphitheater. The Star Party will be held from 7 to 9 pm on the night of Saturday, September 24^th. This is National Public Lands Day, meaning that entry to the park is free all day.

The event will feature a ranger talk at 7 pm on the importance of dark skies and the park’s efforts to protect this vanishing resource and at 7:30, Ravis Henry, a Diné Storyteller from Canyon de Chelly will share Navajo stories of the night sky and constellations. Stargazing and telescope viewing will start at 8 pm, led by Dr. Erica Ellingson, CU Boulder Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences.

To get to the Morefield Campground Amphitheater, drive four miles from the park entrance, then turn right into Morefield Campground. Follow the road all the way to the end to the Amphitheater parking lot.

Please:
• Dress warmly
• Leave your pets at home
• Bring a headlamp or flashlight. Please use only red lights after dark (red cellophane covers will be available).
• Bring binoculars if you have them.

 

Luminaria by Jan Wright,
Mesa Verde National Park Artist in Residence

Jan Wright

Be inspired by a night sky swimming with stars, planets, and galaxies.

Visit Stargazing for more information on dark skies at Mesa Verde.

For more information on the International Dark Sky Program, visit the website of the International Dark-Sky Association.