Cedar City, Utah - The National Park Service will host the Southwest Astronomy Festival beginning Friday, September 10 and continuing daily through Sunday, September 12. The festival will feature many programs and activities presented by Grand Canyon - Parashant and Cedar Breaks National Monuments. All programs are free and open to the public and will highlight the amazing dark night sky in and around the national monuments in Southwestern Utah and northern Arizona.
The 2021 festival will feature virtual and in-person programs and activities in Washington and Iron counties during the day and night throughout the weekend. Visitors will have the opportunity to participate in lectures, star parties, an open house at the Ashcroft Observatory, traditional storytelling, a portable planetarium, solar viewing, night sky photography workshops, and more. For a complete listing of the locations, times, and more details, please visit www.nps.gov/cebr/planyourvisit/swaf-21.htm.
Construction of the Cedar Breaks Visitor Contact Station is underway and has changed visitor operations this season. To help visitors plan for visiting the park this summer, a new 2021 Visitor Guide webpage is available online at www.nps.gov/cebr/planyourvisit/2021.htm. The webpage includes information about ranger programs, information booths, entrance pass sales, campground operations, and most importantly restrooms. The page is updated regularly.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice and Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice.
-NPS-
Tags: dark night skies special event utah arizona cedar breaks national monument parashant
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
