Colorado Stargazing: Experience the Night connects several Colorado locations known for their dark skies and incredible stargazing opportunities. It also highlights dark-sky events and encourages the conservation and preservation of all of Colorado’s natural and cultural resources.
Among the locations below, visitors will find International Dark-Sky Association Designated Communities, areas just starting the designation process and everything in between. Regardless, all of these communities are unified by their high elevation and low humidity, allowing for some of the best stargazing in the world.
A special thank you to the Colorado Tourism Office for their help in funding this project and the establishment of the Colorado Stargazing webpage.
In the News: In rural Colorado, a growing push to preserve dark skies as artificial light spills out of cities: Proposed 3,000-square-mile Sangre de Cristo Dark Sky Reserve would be largest in the world! Greeley Tribune
Among the locations below, visitors will find International Dark-Sky Association Designated Communities, areas just starting the designation process and everything in between. Regardless, all of these communities are unified by their high elevation and low humidity, allowing for some of the best stargazing in the world.
A special thank you to the Colorado Tourism Office for their help in funding this project and the establishment of the Colorado Stargazing webpage.
In the News: In rural Colorado, a growing push to preserve dark skies as artificial light spills out of cities: Proposed 3,000-square-mile Sangre de Cristo Dark Sky Reserve would be largest in the world! Greeley Tribune
Creede
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July 17th - 18th, 2020 - A Star Party
(canceled due to COVID) Creede will be hosting Christine Kenyon, phenomenal night photographer and founder of the Save a Star Foundation, coming July 17th and 18th. Join Headwaters Alliance on July 17th for the ultimate Star Party with award winning photographer Christine Kenyon! Kenyon will share her passion for night sky conservation and photography, including showcasing select astrophotography pieces. Coming from Salt Lake City, Kenyon will speak about the intrinsic value of dark skies and more (christinekenyon.com). After her presentation, we will step outside to view the glorious night sky, several telescopes will be set up to enhance viewing. Kenyon will be hosting an astrophotography class for 10 photographers on Sunday July 18th from 8:30pm to 12:30am; $175 per person. The class will begin with an astrophotography tutorial and then allow photographers an hour and a half to capture some milky way photos of their own! Additionally, Phil Verden will be bringing his portable planetarium down to Creede Schools for a day of education with our local students for Astronomy month in April. News article published in the South Fork Tines Feb 2020 |
Crestone-Baca
Check out a full listing of events and happenings in Crestone: www.colorado.gov/pacific/townofcrestone
Cuchara
Check out a full listing of events and happenings in Cuchara at Spanish Peaks Country:
https://spanishpeakscountry.com/ Gardner
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Check out a full listing of events and happenings in at the Dunes: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/calendar.htm
Lake City
La Veta
Check out a full listing of events and happenings in Huerfano County: https://spanishpeakscountry.com/
Westcliffe/Silver Cliff
Check out a full listing of events and happenings in Westcliffe and Silver Cliff:
https://visitcustercounty.com/ |
August 14 - 15th, 2020 - Star Light, Star Bright
(canceled due to COVID) Join us in the wisdom and teachings of the stories the stars have told shared by Indigenous Elders with multifaceted approaches, traditional music, workshops, dance performancesm, and telescope sky "Experience the Night" viewing. An evening stargazing events have been coordinated with daytime Crestone Energy Fair and other local events. We have broad community support and are very excited. Looking for locations for dark sky viewing check out the attached PDF: 
Events Pending:
Just one mile west of La Veta is the Southern Colorado Astronomical Park, a crossroads of ancient and modern astronomy, including a stone calendar and two observatory structures. The land on which the park sits was donated to the Southern Colorado Astronomical Society for the purposes of education, research, and enjoyment by all. June 17-21st, 2020 - Rocky Mountain Star Stare
(canceled due to COVID) Rocky Mountain Star Stare is an annual premiere star party sponsored by the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society. Located on 35 acres of land, RMSS's "Starry Meadows" is conveniently located just over two hours southwest of Colorado Springs (outside of Gardner, CO [in Spanish Peaks Country]), between the Sangre de Cristo and Wet mountain ranges, at an altitude of 7,600 feet above sea level. RMSS annually plays host to 300+ amateur and professional astronomers, family and friends. Learn more about the Star Stare @ rmss.org 
August 15, 7pm - 10:30pm, 2020 - Astronomy
(canceled due to COVID) Great Sand Dunes Annual Astronomy Event. Celebrate the beauty of the night with park staff and amateur astronomers! More details to come. Wednesdays at Windy Point: A Stargazing Program
(check with Lake City on availability due to COVID) Enjoy stargazing programs with local Lake City amateur astronomer Phillip Virden this summer. Programs will be held at Windy Point Overlook which is located approximately eight miles south of Lake City on Highway 149. The programs will take place on June 10, 24; July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and August 5 and 12. The approximate time will be from 8 pm to 10 pm. Each program will focus on a different aspect of the night sky – from viewing spectacular Saturn and Jupiter to the features and phases of the Moon to the summer constellations to deep sky objects to such events as the Perseid meteor shower and many other wonders of Lake City’s beautiful dark skies. Southern Colorado Astronomical Park
Just one mile west of La Veta is the Southern Colorado Astronomical Park, a crossroads of ancient and modern astronomy, including a stone calendar and two observatory structures. The land on which the park sits was donated for the purposes of education, research, and enjoyment by all. Here, you can gaze upon the stars much like ancient astronomers did several thousand years ago or take a more modern approach by viewing Spanish Peaks Country’s phenomenal dark skies through a telescope. June 19-21, 2020 - Sangre Star Festival
(canceled due to COVID) Make it a date to enjoy a new moon Dark Sky Solstice Celebration commemorating five years of certified International Dark Sky status for the community of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, Colorado. Experience a star-filled night sky and the Milky Way, even with the naked eye, the way it was meant to be seen. The three day event will offer education, entertainment, inspiration, gallery hopping and in town shopping with plenty of outdoor recreation activities including hiking and horseback riding in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. Sangre Star Festival Make sure to to check out our listing of 2020 Public Star Parties at the Smokey Jack Observatory: https://www.darkskiescolorado.org/events 
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Here are some videos to help you with Astronomy and Dark Skies:
International Dark Sky Association's - Crash Course: Amateur Astronomy with Tracie Beuden
International Dark Sky Association's - Crash Course: Amateur Astronomy with Tracie Beuden
Interested in joining our Colorado Stargazing dark sky community? Drop us an email @ museumtrail.org@gmail.com
Looking to host a dark sky event? Drop us an email @ museumtrail.org@gmail.com
Would you like to have your town become certified with the International Dark Sky Association?
Check out their website @: https://www.darksky.org/
Looking to host a dark sky event? Drop us an email @ museumtrail.org@gmail.com
Would you like to have your town become certified with the International Dark Sky Association?
Check out their website @: https://www.darksky.org/
We'd like to thank and acknowledge our partners for their financial contribution, support and continued efforts with this project!
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