Join us in celebrating the arrival of the Summer constellations, bright and overhead. The Milky Way will also be visible, stretching across the sky from the southern to northern horizon, passing through the constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpius in the southern sky.
The constellations best seen for this Star Party are Ursa Major (home to the Big Dipper), Leo, Boötes, Virgo, and Hercules.
Ursa Major, known for the prominent asterism the Big Dipper, is one of the most recognizable constellations in the northern sky. Its seven bright stars form a distinct shape resembling a ladle or a plough.
Leo is a prominent zodiac constellation, characterized by its distinctive backward question mark shape known as the Sickle. It contains several bright stars, including Regulus, and is associated with the Nemean Lion in Greek mythology.
Boötes, represented as a herdsman or plowman, features the bright star Arcturus. It's easily spotted due to its kite-like shape and is best observed in late spring and early summer in the northern hemisphere.
Virgo, the second-largest constellation, hosts the bright star Spica. It's often depicted as a maiden holding a spike of grain and is prominent in the late spring and early summer skies.
Hercules is a constellation associated with the hero from Greek mythology. Its distinctive feature is the Keystone asterism, formed by four stars, and it contains the spectacular Hercules Cluster (Messier 13), a globular cluster visible with binoculars or a telescope.
Attendees will be able to observe our pristine night sky thru the lens of the Smokey Jack Observatory’s 14”, state of the art telescope. Additional telescopes will be setup around the Observatory for viewing and one of our trained Star Guides will be pointing out the brightest stars and constellations.
Free and open to the public. No reservations needed.
Depending on weather conditions, public events can be cancelled the day of the event. All cancellations will be made at least 2 hours before the event start time the day of the event and our voicemail greeting will be changed to announce the cancellation. In order to obtain cancellation details you can call our phone number, 719-398-1284. We will also try to update this event page and the Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley Facebook page with cancellation details as well. However, the voicemail greeting is the primary source of up to date information.
As always, these events are free. However, as a non-profit, we rely exclusively on the generous contributions of our supporters. We do greatly appreciate your tax deductible donations!