The Milky Way lights up the night sky over the Green River; right: Paleontologist Earl Douglass in front of the "discovery bones" in 1909/NPS

Night-sky viewing will be among the main attractions at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado in the coming days, while later in the month the park staff will be celebrating the date in 1909 when the monument's incredible fossil-studded cliff was discovered.

Monument staff and community partners are offering a variety of Dark Sky & Dinosaur Discovery themed events in the month of August as part of the Dinosaur Centennial.

Less than two thirds of U.S. residents can see the Milky Way from their homes. On moonless nights, thousands of stars shine bright in the naturally dark skies that stretch over Dinosaur National Monument. Each year, more people add stargazing to their list of things to do at national parks since developed areas often have lighting that obscures the stars.

From August 12-16, join monument staff to celebrate the night with the Skies Over Dinosaur Astronomy Festival. During the day, observe Earth's closest star with Junior Ranger Night Explorer activities and afternoon solar viewing at the Quarry Visitor Center from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Planisphere (Star Chart) Talks at the Quarry Visitor Center from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday will help you identify when and where to look for certain features in the sky once it gets dark.

On Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evening, join the Green River Campground evening program at 7:30 p.m., followed by Stargazing with Telescopes at the Split Mountain Campground at 9:15 p.m. If you have your own telescope, and don’t mind sharing the view with other visitors, set up takes place in the closed loop at the south end of the Split Mountain Campground at 8:30 p.m. Note that the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower is August 13 around 3 a.m. There will not be any formal program for the meteor shower, but it is a great excuse to find someplace dark and look up!

While astronomy encourages us to look up to the sky, paleontology inspires a closer appreciation of what is down on the ground. When Earl Douglass wrote about his discovery of dinosaur bones at the current location of Dinosaur National Monument, he noted that the eight vertebrae he saw were a “beautiful sight.” Within five days, his journals also describe a number of people from the local community making the journey to see “the bones.”

From August 22-25, Earl Douglass Discovery Days mark the initial discovery on August 17, 1909, of what was to become the Carnegie Quarry and the anniversary of the first recorded visitors to the site on August 22, 1909. Activities include special talks each day at the quarry, off-trail hikes to see more recent dinosaur discoveries, and a Green River Campground evening program at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 22 led by Earl Douglass' granddaughter, Diane Iverson.

Documentary Night at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25 at the Uintah County Library in Vernal, Utah will also feature Diane Iverson, sharing excerpts from the book based on her grandfather's journals, Speak to the Earth and Let it Teach You: The Life and Times of Earl Douglass 1862-1931. Books will be available for purchase.

Tuesday, August 25, will be a Fee Free Day in honor of the National Park Service’s 99th Birthday. Entrance fees will be waived that day; however camping fees will still be collected.