NPS Photo by Daniel Pawlak

Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2021
Dates: June 8 -12, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM PT, 10:30 PM ET

Schedule: Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2021

Grand Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon Conservancy invites everyone to the Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party taking place , June 5-12, 2021. While the on-site event at Grand Canyon National Park is cancelled on both rims due to concerns over COVID-19, the park will bring the wonders of the night sky into the virtual realm through a series of video premieres on the park's Facebook page.

Over the course of the week, there will be 8 special presentations by guest speakers - and virtual telescope sessions - in which astronomers connect video cameras to their telescopes and examine a number of celestial objects. The nightly telescope sessions will last between 60 and 90 minutes. See the schedule of talks below:

Tuesday, June 8, 2021
7:30 pm (PDT), 10:30 PM ET
Ancestral Puebloan Sun Calendars
Discover the diverse ways the ancestral peoples of Grand Canyon region used the landscape to create Sun calendars for agricultural and ceremonial purposes.
Bryan Bates, co-founder of the Society for Cultural Astronomy in the American Southwest.
YouTube Link

June 8, 2021
9:30 pm (PDT), 12:30 AM ET 
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Telescope Session 4
By Lowell Observatory
Facebook LInk

Wednesday, June 9, 2021
7:30 pm (PDT), 10:30 PM  ET
Zuni World View
Discover the ways the Sun, Moon, and stars are woven into the Zuni world view, as revealed through spiritual leaders and Zuni prayer.
Kenny Bowekaty, archaeologist, preservation officer, tour guide for the Pueblo of Zuni, and Zuni spiritual leader.
YouTube Link

9 pm (PDT), 12AM ET 
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Telescope Session 5
By Focus Astronomy
Facebook Link

Thursday, June 10, 2021
7:30 pm (PDT), 10:30 PM ET
A Conversation with Bertram Tsavadawa on Hopi Astronomy
Learn insights into Hopi astronomy through conversation between Bertram Tsavadawa from Hopi and Park Ranger Rader Lane.
Bertram Tsavadawa, katsina doll carver, artist, and tour guide for Ancient Pathways Tours on the Hopi Mesas.
YouTube Link

9 pm (PDT), 12AM ET
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Telescope Session 6
By the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
YouTube Link

Friday, June 11, 2021
7:30 pm (PDT), 10:30 PM ET
Ancient Astronomers of the American West
Take a tour of the most amazing archaeoastronomical sites around the Four Corners region, and consider visiting them on your next visit to Grand Canyon.
Dr. David Koerner, retired professor of cultural astronomy at Northern Arizona University.
YouTube Link

9 pm (PDT), 12AM ET
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Telescope Session 7
By Focus Astronomy
Facebook Link

Saturday, June 12, 2021
7:30 pm (PDT), 10:30 PM ET
Seeing the Skies Through Navajo Eyes
From cosmology to constellations, discover the intimate connection the Diné (Navajo) people have with the skies over the Grand Canyon region and beyond.
Dr. David Begay and Dr. Nancy Maryboy, authors of Sharing the Skies: Navajo Astronomy.
YouTube Link

June 12, 2021
9 pm (PDT), 12AM ET
 Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Telescope Session 8
By Focus Astronomy
Facebook Link