Rocky Mountain National Park’s 2024 Astronomy Festival is taking place Friday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 3 on the east and west sides of the park. The festival will feature interactive daytime activities, evening presentations and night sky telescope viewing opportunities.

The annual astronomy festival is a celebration of dark skies, astronomy and night sky stewardship.

On both sides of the park, attendees can attend presentations by guest speakers and also look at different features of the night sky using a telescope.

Evening presentations on the west side of the park will take place at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Telescope viewing will begin at 9 p.m. and is hosted by Grand Astronomy at the Juniper Library in the town of Grand Lake.

Daytime activities and solar viewing on the east side of the park will take place at the Fall River Visitor Center. Evening activities will take place at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and at the Glacier Basin Campground. National Park Service staff and volunteers will lead telescope viewing at Upper Beaver Meadows Parking Area.

Festival participants should come prepared with proper clothing, snacks, water and a flashlight with a red light or red-light filter to help protect one’s night vision. Temperatures in the park drop after dark, meaning that attendees should wear warm layers.

In a press release from the park, it thanked the Rocky Mountain National Park’s “Defenders of Darkness” volunteer team and the Rocky Mountain Conservancy for their work in organizing the festival.

For additional details, including all program descriptions, locations and times, visit Rocky Mountain National Park’s website at Go.NPS.Gov.