Travel Tips & Trends

Fiske planetarium

Stargazing in Colorado

For everyone from professional scientists to backyard astronomers, Colorado offers tremendous opportunities to study the skies. The state's high altitude, low humidity and large areas with little light pollution make it a great place for stargazing.

Beginners to astronomy can start indoors at one of Colorado's many planetariums. These are theaters which project a simulation of the night sky onto a dome above the audience. Both the Fiske Planetarium in Boulder (303-492-5002, http://fiske.colorado.edu) and the Gates Planetarium at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (303-322-7009, www.dmns.org) offer regularly scheduled shows and talks on many astronomy topics. It's a great way to learn exactly what you're looking at, before heading out of town to see for yourself.

Getting away from city lights will dramatically increase the number of stars visible to the naked eye, binoculars or telescope. Some upcoming celestial events to look for:

  • Sept. 11, partial solar eclipse.
  • Oct. 21-22, Orionid meteor shower.
  • Nov. 17-18, Leonid meteor shower.
  • Dec. 13-14, Geminid meteor shower, considered to be the best meteor shower of the year, capable of producing up to 60 colorful meteors per hour.

For an even closer view, visit an observatory. Equipped for scientific observation of astronomical phenomena, most observatories are not open to the public, but some do have public viewing nights. Three Colorado observatories with public programs are Chamberlin Observatory in Denver (303-871-5172, www.du.edu/rstencel/Chamberlin), Sommers Bausch Observatory in Boulder (303-492-6732, http://lyra.colorado.edu), and Gunnison Valley Observatory (970-641-1025, www.coloradoskies.org).

These and several other facilities will celebrate Colorado Astronomy Day on September 15. This statewide event is dedicated to promoting interest in astronomy and the importance of reducing light pollution to maintain dark skies, for both research and public enjoyment.

For details on activities throughout the state, visit the Denver Astronomical Society at www.thedas.org or call 303-871-5172.

Out-of-state stars

Heading further afield? Here are some top picks for astronomy fans on vacation: