A star party is on the schedule at Mount Rainier National Park, where the Perseid Meteor Showers will be viewed from Paradise this coming Saturday.

The program gets under way at 8 p.m.in the lobby of the Paradise Inn and, if the skies overhead are clear, will coincide with the Perseid meteor shower that peaks during the second week of August. The program opens with a short presentation about the National Park Service “Natural Lightscapes” program. The Park Service has come to embrace night skies as one of the many scenic vistas the agency is a steward of.

"It is essential to keeping a park whole and touches on almost every aspect that is important to us - from sustainability to stargazers, and animals to ancient ruins," a park release said.

At 8:45 p.m., there will be an opportunity to star and meteor gazing next to the Paradise Visitor Center with Tacoma Astronomical Society volunteers and their telescopes. Volunteers will also assist visitors to make astronomy devices called star finders.

If weather makes star gazing difficult, the party will move inside the Paradise Inn lobby for star finder making and a question and answer session with the astronomers.

Entry to the park is $15 per private vehicle. There is no fee for the Star Party and Natural Lightscapes program.

If you have questions please contact Park Ranger Curt Jacquot at (360) 569-6577.