Estes Park Memorial Observatory Events and Classes Page

EPMO offers Open House Nights, private observation nights/classes, and Estes Valley Astronomical Society meetings.

Events:

EPMO Image - Classroom

An Open House class at EPMO

The Observatory is open to the general public on Open House nights, Estes Valley Astronomical Club nights, and private observation sessions. We also have some special events hosted by local groups that are also open to the public. Check the Calendar page for openings. We prefer scheduling from the webpage but many times we have last minute openings and availability. You can check at 970-586-5668 to see if we can fit you in on short notice. The observatory is privately funded by voluntary contributions but some of the special events might request a small donation fee ($3 to $5 per person) for incidentals.

Observatory Open House Nights - 2011:

The observatory public nights are put on by members of the local Estes Valley Astronomy club and are free to all comers. The evening starts with a tour of the facility and an introduction to the night's viewing with a demonstration of the observatory star wall, our poor-man's planetarium. We'll talk about objects that we will later view with the telescope and point out their locations on our star wall. Depending on the number of visitors we will set up telescopes outside the observatory and we will use the main telescope in the dome. Of course the viewing is dependent on the night sky and if it is unfavorable we'll show a good space movie in our warm room.

Check the sky conditions here: SkyandTelescope.com

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EPMO Image - Classroom

Telescopes at Upper Beaver Meadows

Rocky Mountain National Park Astronomy Programs - 2011:

Observe the night sky with the help of a park ranger and expert volunteer astronomers. Rocky Mountain National Park will offer weekly Astronomy in the Park programs this summer. A traditional astronomy program will take place in Upper Beaver Meadows every other week and will include a 20 to 30 minute interpretive presentation by park rangers followed by a night of observing put on by local astronomers and park volunteers. Dress warm, bring binoculars and a flashlight, and meet at the Upper Beaver Meadows Trailhead parking area.. The 2011 Dates for the Traditional Viewing Program

 


Every other week, "The Story Behind the Moon & the Stars" program will incorporate star lore and activities for families. The program will include a constellation tour and viewing with binoculars, naked eye, and possibly telescopes. This program will take place at the Moraine Park Visitor Center and will last approximately 1 & 1/2 hours. Start times for this program have not yet been set. The 2011 Dates for the Story Behind the Moon and Stars Program :

 

Check the sky conditions here: SkyandTelescope.com

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Classes:

For those who can't attend one of the public or club meeting nights, we offer private observation sessions based on our booking calendar and availability of the volunteer staff who can operate the telescopes. For an appointment, please review the calendar and select an open evening. Then go to the Reservations Page to give us the details of your visit. There is no charge for charitable or civic groups but private groups should consider a small donation to support the observatory and the EVAS club whose members supply the volunteers that operate the observatory.

This Month's EVAS Meeting

The monthly EVAS club Meetings start at 7:00 PM with a short business meeting followed by a general discussion of current astronomical events and a presentation by a scheduled speaker (see This Month's EVAS Meeting for this month's topic). The discussion and presentation lasts about an hour followed by telescope observation. Of course all observation is weather dependent and if all else fails we have access to a great audio visual system and we can watch a star movie.

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