Annual Astronomy Day to ‘Focus’ on Constellations and Galaxies in Grand Tetons

Grand Teton National Park will join the Jackson Hole Astronomy Club to host the annual Grand Teton Astronomy Day this Sunday, August 11. Family-oriented activities are on tap which offer fun and educational opportunities to identify and appreciate galactic bodies such as constellations, star clusters, nebulae, sunspots, and much more.

Throughout the day, astronomy themed videos will be shown in the Colter Bay Visitor Center auditorium, including an 11:30 a.m. showing of the award winning documentary, "The City Dark: A search for night on a planet that never sleeps." Outdoor events begin at 2 p.m. at the Colter Bay Visitor Center and end with a late-night star-gazing session on Jackson Lake.

To highlight Grand Teton Astronomy Day, specially filtered telescopes will be available to safely view sunspots and other solar features from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. on the back deck of the Colter Bay Visitor Center. During the same timeframe, children and adults can discover fun and fascinating information at exhibits and information tables.

At 9 p.m. Bob Hoyle, current park ranger naturalist and former professor of astronomy, will present an evening program at the Colter Bay amphitheater titled, "Watchers of the Sky." This presentation focuses on the cultural history of astronomy and how early sky-watching evolved into the sciences of astronomy and astrophysics.

As a finale, several large telescopes will be set up from 10 p.m. to midnight along the shore of Colter Bay for participants to view stars, galaxies, nebulae and other celestial objects. Anyone planning to attend the evening program and telescope observation session should dress warmly as evening temperatures at Colter Bay can be quite chilly, even in August.

More information about Astronomy Day is available by calling the Colter Bay Visitor Center at 307-739-3594.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com