Photo by Dan Bayer courtesy of AspenSkiing Company
Aspen Skiing Company, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and the Aspen Science Center will host the first Stars Above Aspen event on Aspen Mountain onWednesday, August 10from6 to 10:30 p.m.
Guests can head up the Silver Queen Gondola for a community astronomy event featuringa StarLAB planetarium tent, guided telescope stations, stomp rockets, celestial crafts and games, star storytelling, space-themed face painting, a collaborative mural of the universe, physics experiments, and more. As a special gift, the first 500 guests will receive a limited edition planisphere, a tool for locating constellations that the Aspen High School Astronomy Club will be demonstrating along with popular mobile stargazing apps.
Guests can come and go throughout the evening and the Sundeck will be open for drinks and dinner.Scheduled events include a sunset all-ages yoga classat6:45 p.m.led by Jayne Gottliebof the Shakti Shala in honor of the only star in our solar system.At8:15 p.m.astronomer and author, David Aguilar will present akeynoteTo Pluto and Beyond aboutthe fascinating Pluto fly-by mission.David is former Director of Science Information and Public Outreach at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the founder of the Science Discovery Program at University of Colorado Boulder. In 2015, he directed the NASAs New Horizons Mission special media team during the fly-by close encounter of Pluto.
“It’s a dream come true to partner with Skico and the Aspen Science Center on this brand new community astronomy event at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level,” says Anda Smalls, ACES Naturalist Field School Director. “We spend so much of our time exploring the terrestrial, but how much do you know about celestial phenomenons like nebulas and black holes, or constellations and solar systems? This event offers a unique opportunity to head up Aspen Mountain during the Perseid Meteor Shower to gaze up at the sky and explore the universe with astronomy experts and enthusiasts. We hope you’ll join us for what we think is going to be the coolest event on Earth.”
“Aspen Science Center is thrilled to be partnering with Skico and ACES to put on this event,” says David Houggy, President of Aspen Science Center. “ASC and ACES have always hosted our own individual astronomy events, and this year we thought, why not combine them into one event, get Skico involved and put it on top of Aspen Mountain, and make it a community-wide celebration of science and the cosmos. We are thrilled with how this event is shaping up this year, and look forward to it being an annual staple of summer events in Aspen. We are also very grateful to Three Rivers Astronomy Club, Spellbinders, and CMC for their participation.”
Guests should come prepared for evening mountain temperatures. A blanket for star-gazing and plenty of layers are suggested.The event is open to all ages. Tickets cost $9 and include the gondola ride. Children three and under ride for free. Season passes are not accepted for this special event.Tickets can be purchased online atwww.aspensnowmass.com/while-you-are-here/events/stars-above-aspenor at any lift ticket office. For more information please call970-923-1227or visit the Aspen Mountain Ticket Office.
