Dr. Qicheng Zhang at Heritage Starfest 2024

Started in 2010, this annual festival celebrates the amazing night skies of Capitol Reef and surrounding Wayne County. Come learn more about astronomy, our connection to the night sky, and how darkness is important to the health of all living things.

Hosted by Capitol Reef National Park and the Entrada Institute, this year’s event will take place on September 27th and 28th.

Activities and events are free and will take place both in the park and in the nearby town of Torrey, 11 miles west of the visitor center.

Lowell Observatory astronomer Dr. Qicheng Zhang will give a talk called ‘The Anatomy of a Great Comet’ in the Visitor Center Theater! Comets occasionally produce spectacular visual displays with ghostly tails stretching many degrees across the night sky, and one such bright comet may only be a week away