Dinosaur National Monument has received a special designation as an International Dark Sky Park and the park is inviting all to come enjoy the experience for themselves. So far, the Monument has scheduled 35 opportunities for the remainder of this year for visitors to attend special presentations exploring Dinosaur’s dark skies. “Our ranger staff is developing a terrific program line-up,” says Monument Superintendent Paul Scolari. “So when the sun starts to scorch, come out to Dinosaur on a cool night and check out the marvels the sky has to offer.” To kick off, there will be a special presentation from 9:00 to 10:00 pm on May 4th outside the Quarry Exhibit Hall. “Join rangers and volunteers for a tour of the sky, participate in dark sky measurements as citizen scientists, and evaluate different outdoor lighting options,” shares the park’s announcement. Also coming up will be a stargazing program at the Gates of Lodore on June 8th and a full moon hike in Echo Park on June 17th to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the John Wesley Powell Expedition. Starting June 24th, a regular line-up of night sky programs will run through September 13th includes Stargazing with Telescopes, Night Sky for the Naked Eye, Night Hikes Under Moonlight, and the annual Skies Over Dinosaur Astronomy Festival. Visit the Monument’s website
www.nps.gov/dino
for a complete calendar of events.
NPS/Jacob Holgerson
