Free Astrophotography Workshop
9:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
High Plateaus Institute and Bryce Amphitheater area
See detailed information and sign up below.
Daytime Activities
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Solar telescopes (weather and staffing dependent) and a special NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and University of Utah booth.
Evening Programs
Majesty of the Night Sky
Travel through time and the universe with Vic Maris who spent 30 years working as a park ranger and naturalist for California State Parks. Galileo himself will make a guest appearance during this program. He will briefly present his discoveries and answer questions. The program will conclude by taking you to many of the western national parks at night. These "Dark Sky Places" are where the majesty of the night sky shines brightly.
8:30 p.m. 45 minutes
NOTE: Location given at sign-up. This program requires reservations, which can be made same-day at the Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m. until capacity is reached. Tickets limited to 6 per group.
Star Stories
Planetarium educator Dr. Amy Sayle takes you on a trip through the constellations and the eternal legends they tell. Help act out one of the greatest star stories ever told. Through storytelling and audience participation, discover how tonight’s sky provides you with a compass, clock, calendar, and time machine. Help act out one of the greatest star stories ever told.
North Campground Outdoor Theater
9:00 p.m. 45 minutes
NOTE: If there is inclement weather this program will be moved to the Visitor Center Theater, where tickets will be required. These can be picked up same-day at the Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m. until capacity is reached. Tickets limited to 6 per group.
Stargazing
10:00 p.m. - Midnight
Location: Additional Parking lot across from Visitor Center
Shuttle hours will be extended for the festival. As parking will be limited, we advise parking at the Shuttle Station or boarding from your campground/Lodging in the park. Shuttles will run until 12:15 a.m.
Volunteers point their telescopes at some of the night sky's most spectacular sights. White-light flashlights are prohibited due to their negative impact on night vision.
Free Astrophotography Workshop
9:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
High Plateaus Institute and Bryce Amphitheater area
See detailed information and sign up below.
Daytime Activities
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Solar telescopes (weather and staffing dependent) and a special NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and University of Utah booth.
Evening Program
Earth or Mars? How Southern Utah is a Stand-in for the Red Planet
Have you ever traveled in southern Utah and wondered if you had made it to another planet? What makes Mars look like Kanab or Hanksville? In this talk, we will discuss similarities and differences between the red planet and the areas in Southern Utah we enjoy exploring. We will discuss the latest discoveries and observations of Mars as well as why that planet has a different past and future than Earth.
8:30 p.m. 45 minutes
NOTE: Location given at sign-up. This program requires reservations, which can be made same-day at the Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m. until capacity is reached. Tickets limited to 6 per group.
About the Speaker:
Cameron Pace grew up in Bicknell, Utah, just outside Capitol Reef National Park and from an early age developed a fascination with the stars. The skies there are among the darkest in the country, and as a young man he spent many hours at his parents’ home and at the family ranch outside of Hanksville looking into the heavens. As an undergraduate at Brigham Young University he helped install and operate a robotic observatory in Delta, Utah, where he developed skills in telescope operations and automation. He attended graduate school at Indiana University where he studied how supermassive black holes affect their host galaxies. Cameron earned his Ph.D. in 2015, and later that year began teaching at Southern Utah University. At SUU he has taught both physics and astronomy classes, and has been involved with the acquisition and operation of the SUU portable planetarium, which serves over 5,000 people annually. He is also the point person for SUU's partnership with the Great Basin Observatory, the first and only research-grade telescope inside a national park. He has also given astronomy presentations at many locations in the region, including Fish Lake, UT, Page, AZ, Springdale UT, and Capitol Reef and Great Basin National Parks.
Journey to the Moon
North Campground Outdoor Theater
9:00 p.m. 45 minutes
NOTE: If there is inclement weather this program will be moved to the Visitor Center Theater, where tickets will be required. These can be picked up same-day at the Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m. until capacity is reached. Tickets limited to 6 per group.
About the speaker:
Christopher Cokinos had been a stargazer for years before he "discovered" the Moon, as a personal visual object of inspiration and exploration and as the focus for cultural and scientific histories. From guiding us along the wild, dramatic lunar surface to sharing fascinating folklore and research, Chris will make the Moon "still as bright" again—even if it's not in the sky during the astronomy festival! A child of the Apollo era and author of a Moon book, among many others, Chris is a poet, science writer and retired English professor who covers NASA, space and science for such venues as Scientific American and Astronomy.
Stargazing
10:00 p.m. - Midnight
Aditional Parking lot across from Visitor Center
Shuttle hours will be extended for the festival. As parking will be limited, we advise parking at the Shuttle Station or boarding from your campground/Lodge in the park. Shuttles will run until 12:15 a.m.
Volunteers point their telescopes at some of the night sky's most spectacular sights. White-light flashlights are prohibited due to their negative impact on night vision.
Free Astrophotography Workshop
9:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
High Plateaus Institute and Bryce Amphitheater area
See detailed information and sign up below.
Daytime Activities
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Solar telescopes (weather and staffing dependent) and a special NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and University of Utah booth.
Keynote Programs
Star Stories
Through storytelling and audience participation, discover how tonight’s sky provides you with a compass, clock, calendar, and time machine. Help act out one of the greatest star stories ever told. Planetarium educator Dr. Amy Sayle takes you on a trip through the constellations and the eternal legends they tell. Help act out one of the greatest star stories ever told.
8:30 p.m. 45 minutes
NOTE: Location given at sign-up. This program requires reservations, which can be made same-day at the Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m. until capacity is reached. Tickets limited to 6 per group.
Earth or Mars? How Southern Utah is a Stand-in for the Red Planet - Dr. Cameron Pace
Have you ever traveled in southern Utah and wondered if you had made it to another planet? what makes Mars look like Kanab or Hanksville? In this talk, we will discuss similarities and differences between the red planet and the areas in Southern Utah we enjoy exploring. We will discuss the latest discoveries and observations of Mars as well as why that planet has a different past and future than Earth.
North Campground Outdoor Theater
9:00 p.m. 45 minutes
NOTE: If there is inclement weather this program will be moved to the Visitor Center Theater, where tickets will be required. These can be picked up same-day at the Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m. until capacity is reached. Tickets limited to 6 per group.
About the speaker:
Cameron Pace grew up in Bicknell, Utah, just outside Capitol Reef National Park and from an early age developed a fascination with the stars. The skies there are among the darkest in the country, and as a young man he spent many hours at his parents’ home and at the family ranch outside of Hanksville looking into the heavens. As an undergraduate at Brigham Young University he helped install and operate a robotic observatory in Delta, Utah, where he developed skills in telescope operations and automation. He attended graduate school at Indiana University where he studied how supermassive black holes affect their host galaxies. Cameron earned his Ph.D. in 2015, and later that year began teaching at Southern Utah University. At SUU he has taught both physics and astronomy classes, and has been involved with the acquisition and operation of the SUU portable planetarium, which serves over 5,000 people annually. He is also the point person for SUU's partnership with the Great Basin Observatory, the first and only research-grade telescope inside a national park. He has also given astronomy presentations at many locations in the region, including Fish Lake, UT, Page, AZ, Springdale UT, and Capitol Reef and Great Basin National Parks.
Stargazing
10:00 p.m. - Midnight
Aditional Parking lot across from Visitor Center
Shuttle hours will be extended for the festival. As parking will be limited, we advise parking at the Shuttle Station or boarding from your campground in the park. Shuttles will run until 12:15 a.m.
Volunteers point their telescopes at some of the night sky's most spectacular sights. White-light flashlights are prohibited due to their negative impact on night vision.
Free Astrophotography Workshop
9:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
High Plateaus Institute and Bryce Amphitheater area
See detailed information and sign up below.
