17TH ANNUAL HERITAGE STARFEST
September 12, 2026 @ 1:00PM — 11:00PM Mountain Time (US & Canada) Add to Calendar
HERITAGE STARFEST: SOLAR VIEWING, STAR GAZING & MORE!
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.
Heritage StarFest 2026
Events will take place at the Torrey Town Park (100 N. 75 East in Torrey, Utah)
and at the Entrada Institute's Robber's Roost (185 W. Main Street in Torrey, Utah).
1:00 p.m. Welcome: Marci Milligan, Entrada President
1:05 p.m. Entrada’s New Observatory “Bernice Chaffin Scholl Observ-aTorrey and Linton Rohr Observation Deck”: Jason Wheeler, Assist Utah
1:30 p.m. Telescope—Opening Your View of the Night Sky: Gordon Myers
1:45 p.m. Night Sky Citizen Science Update: Gary Pankow, Entrada Institute Board Member and Torrey Dark Skies Board Member
2:00 p.m. Seasonal Skywatching and Cultural Interpretations of the Sky: Leonard Thomas, SkyWatcher Leo T
2:30 p.m. Night Sky 2026 Project Presentation: Krishna Golakoti, Intern
3:00 p.m. A Voyage to Tomorrow: Moon Bases, Mars Cities, and Humanity’s Future in Space: Jason Trump, Clark Planetarium
4:00 p.m. Annual Entrada Institute Night Sky Stewardship Awards: Marci Milligan and Kate Magargal, University of Utah Night Sky Studies Professor
5:00–5:30 p.m. Tour—Entrada Center Performance Hall and Observatory
7:00–8:00 p.m. 3hattrio in Concert
8:30–11:00 p.m. Torrey Dark Sky Star Party: Torrey Dark Sky members, Torrey Town staff, Capitol Reef National Park staff, Entrada intern, volunteers, guest amateur astronomers, and community partners to view the Milky Way and other celestial wonders through many different telescopes—Torrey Town Park, 100 North 75 East
9:30 p.m. Night Sky Monitoring—Torrey Town Park (meet under the solar panels)
***REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED FOR OFFSITE EVENTS***