Great Basin National Park is just one spot in the National Park System where you can gaze at the stars/NPS

With clear skies overhead, and no moon, the star gazing should be outstanding in the coming weeks at western national parks. Several of those parks -- Great Basin, Theodore Roosevelt and Mount Rainier national parks, and Oregon Caves National Monument -- are taking advantage of the night skies with star-gazing festivals.

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

The Great Basin Astronomy Festival gets under way this Thursday and continues through Saturday with events scheduled day and night. During the day you'll be able to view the Sun through solar telescopes, and there also will be an Astronomy 101 program to help you recognize what you see in the night sky. Each night, weather allowing, there will be more than 30 telescopes set up -- some as tall as 20 feet -- to help you enjoy the stars. Kids will enjoy earning their Deep Space Certificate (and a Milky Way candy bar) from the Dark Rangers and making special glow-in-the-sun solar bracelets.

Thursday events

* 1 p.m. - Solar Telescope Viewing & Solar Bracelet Making

* 3 p.m. - Night Sky Photography Workshop (Great Basin Visitor Center - Limit 30 People - reservations required); How to Use a Planisphere with Dark Ranger Steve

* 6:30 p.m. - Ranger Talent Show

* 7:30 p.m. - Kid's Program: Deep Space Observing Certificate! (Picnic Area); Star Gaze with Astronomers/Telescope Viewing (Picnic Area)

* 8 p.m - Constellation Tour (Picnic Area)

* 8:30 p.m. - Star Stories Talk (Picnic Area)

Friday events

* Noon - Astronomy 101: Astronomy for Beginners and Everyone

* 1 p.m. - Solar Telescope Viewing & Solar Bracelet Making

* 2 p.m. - Our Dark Night Sky - Presentation

* 2:30 p.m. - Kid's Program - Space Jingle

* 3 p.m. - How to Use a Planisphere with Dark Ranger Steve

* 6:30 p.m. - Vic Maris - Festival Keynote Speaker

* 7:30 p.m. - Kid's Program: Deep Space Observing Certificate! (Picnic Area); Star Gaze with Astronomers/Telescope Viewing (Picnic Area)

* 8 p.m. - Constellation Tour (Picnic Area)

* 8:30 p.m. - Star Stories Talk (Picnic Area)

Saturday events

* 6 a.m. - Autumnal Equinox Sunrise at the Baker Archaeological Site

* Noon - Astronomy 101: Astronomy for Beginners and Everyone

* 1 p.m. - Solar Telescope Viewing & Solar Bracelet Making

* 2 p.m. - The Grand Universal Tour - Presentation

* 2:30 p.m. - Kid's Program - Discovering Light: Life in the Infrared!

* 3 p.m. - How to Use a Planisphere with Dark Ranger Steve

* 6:30 p.m. - Dark Horizons: Saving the Night Sky with Derek Demeter

* 7:30 p.m. - Kid's Program: Deep Space Observing Certificate! (Picnic Area); Star Gaze with Astronomers/Telescope Viewing (Picnic Area)

* 8 p.m. - Constellation Tour (Picnic Area)

* 8:30 p.m. - Star Stories Talk (Picnic Area)

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Historic Medora invite curious minds of all ages to spend an early autumn weekend exploring the universe overhead. Park rangers, astronomers, and space enthusiasts of all types will gather for the Second Annual Dakota Nights Astronomy Festival this Friday through Sunday.

This year's special guest speakers include aurora borealis expert Dr. Joe Shaw; Hubble Space Telescope and Mercury Messenger mission planner Mark "Indy" Kochte; Kevin "the Dark Ranger" Poe; and lifelong astronomy enthusiasts and park rangers Kate and Jeff Zylland.

"People have been studying the night skies for millennia," said park Superintendent Valerie Naylor. "Truly dark night skies are necessary for us to continue to do so. Dakota Nights celebrates the beauty and fragility of this valuable resource in this era of intense development in western North Dakota. This festival will have something for people of all ages."

Daytime activities include model rocket building and launching, a "build your own telescope" workshop, "sungazing," solar system hikes, programs in Dickinson State University's Discovery Dome, and presentations by guest speakers. Evening events will reveal the mysteries of the universe while star gazing in a field of more than 15 telescopes manned by astronomers and park rangers. A night sky photography workshop will be offered on Sunday evening for anyone who brings their own equipment.

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Families and individuals of all ages are invited to the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park for a special "star viewing party" on Saturday. The event starts at 9:30 p.m. in the plaza in front of the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise. If the sky remains clear, the event will last until at least 11:30 p.m. The outdoor star gazing will be led by the 2014 Mount Rainier Astro-Volunteer team. These volunteers donate the use of their personal telescopes for the public and educate about the night skies.

If weather makes star gazing difficult, the party will move inside to the lobby of the Paradise Inn for a "Meet the Astronomers" question and answer session. Materials to make a special "Star-Finder" device will also be available at no charge.

This event is free and open to all. The entry fee to the park is $15 per private vehicle.

Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon

Oregon Caves will stage its star show on September 26. The evening begins with a ranger talk at the lower entrance parking lot at 8 p.m., and will go until 10 p.m.