Stars Above Aspen Astronomy Event
Aspen Snowmass and Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) will host the third annual Stars Above Aspen event on Aspen Mountain Monday, Aug. 13 from 6:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. The Silver Queen gondola will be open late for this special community astronomy night featuring a STARLAB planetarium tent, guided telescope stations, interactive presentations, sunset yoga, legends and facts of the constellations, celestial crafts and games, star storytelling, space-themed face painting, a collaborative mural of the universe, physics experiments, and more.
“There is no better place to gaze at the stars than at almost 12,000 feet,” says Phebe Meyers, ACES Naturalist Field School Manager. “We are thrilled to partner with the Aspen Skiing Company to bring this incredible event to our community for the third year in a row. This experience offers the opportunity to explore the universe with astronomy experts and enthusiasts, expanding listener’s horizon of knowledge.”
Scheduled events include a sunset yoga class for all ages from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. led by Jayne Gottlieb, of the Shakti Shala yoga studio. At 8:15 p.m. ACES will welcome back astronomer David Aguilar and his talk “Fantastic Night of Planets”.
A naturalist, astronomer, lecturer, television commentator, author, and illustrator of over ten National Geographic and Random House children’s books on space, David's expertise lies in his ability to communicate the sciences to all ages. David is the founder and CEO of Aspen Skies Corporation, a science educational publishing house and television-consulting group created in 2006. In 2015, he completed his 14-year tenure as Director of Media and Science Education at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA. He is former Director of Fiske Planetarium and Science Center and the founder of the Science Discovery Program at University of Colorado Boulder, as well as the former Marketing Communications Director at Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation where he joined the Hubble Space Telescope repair team, and Marketing Director for PBS’s Emmy-winning NOVA series, Evolution. In 2015, he directed NASA’s New Horizons special media team on the epic Pluto flyby mission. ASTEROID 1990DA has been designated in honor of his internationally-recognized work in science education outreach. As a songwriter and musician, he has the added distinction along of being recognized as a 2008 Grammy Award nominee.
In addition, the Sundeck Restaurant will be open for drinks and dinner. Guests should be prepared for evening mountain temperatures. A blanket for star-gazing and plenty of layers are highly suggested. The event is open to all ages. Tickets cost $15 and include the gondola ride. Children three and under are free. Season passes are not accepted for this special event.