UNT Rafes Urban Astronomy Center

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UNT Rafes Urban Astronomy Center

Changing the world one Star Party at a time! Public Star Parties are held every 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, weather permitting. STAR PARTIES!

Be sure to check back here for party updates as well as our other lively posts! Come join us at the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center on the first and third Saturday of every month for our Star Party. At Star Parties, you can learn about the night sky from our knowledgeable staff and students and enjoy an opportunity to see objects in space through our telescopes! WHAT'S INCLUDED?
- Sky Tonight Tour -

Constellation stories, navigating the night sky, and star-hopping
- Dobsonian Telescope Operation - instruction on how to use the telescopes and find celestial objects
- Domed Telescope Observation - You will be given access to our 6" and 8" refractors.
- Open-Roof Telescope Observation: You will be given access to our open-roof telescope buildings which contain C14 and C8 telescopes outfitted with state of the art astrophotography and positioning equipment. IMPORTANT: Make sure to check here or on the Star Party page of our website for the weather call at 2pm the day of the event. We will cancel star parties due to clouds in the forecast in addition to other unforeseen circumstances. Ticket sales are currently cash only and can only be purchased at the event.

08/15/2026

Join us for a night under the stars! 🌌

Come out to the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center and enjoy breathtaking views of the night sky through our telescopes. Learn from our knowledgeable staff and volunteers about the celestial wonders above! Objects of interest for the Star Party: Venus (sets at 10:12), Andromeda Galaxy, Ring Nebula, Pinwheel Galaxy, and Whirlpool Galaxy.

NOTE: We will be able to see the Perseids Meteor Shower, however it will be past the peak and will be located in the same area of the sky as the light pollution from Denton

Location:
Rafes Urban Astronomy Center
2350 Tom Cole Rd, Ponder, TX 76259

Tickets: $6 per person (available online only)

Purchase tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/27808

Want to learn more about our Star Parties? Visit:
https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

08/01/2026

Join us for a night under the stars! 🌌

Come out to the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center and enjoy breathtaking views of the night sky through our telescopes. Learn from our knowledgeable staff and volunteers about the celestial wonders above! Objects of interest for the Star Party: Venus (sets at 10:30), Andromeda Galaxy, Whirlpool Galaxy, Lagoon Nebula, and Ring Nebula

Location:
Rafes Urban Astronomy Center
2350 Tom Cole Rd, Ponder, TX 76259

Tickets: $6 per person (cashless only)

Purchase tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/27808

Want to learn more about our Star Parties? Visit:
https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

07/29/2026

Join us for a night under the stars! 🌌

Come out to the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center and enjoy breathtaking views of the night sky through our telescopes. Learn from our knowledgeable staff and volunteers about the celestial wonders above! Objects of interest for the Star Party: Venus (sets at 10:30), Andromeda Galaxy, Whirlpool Galaxy, Lagoon Nebula, and Ring Nebula

Location:
Rafes Urban Astronomy Center
2350 Tom Cole Rd, Ponder, TX 76259

Tickets: $6 per person (available online only)
Purchase tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/27808

Final weather call will be posted around 2 PM on the day of the event.

Want to learn more about our Star Parties? Visit:
https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

07/18/2026

Join us for a night under the stars! 🌌

Come out to the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center and enjoy breathtaking views of the night sky through our telescopes. Learn from our knowledgeable staff and volunteers about the celestial wonders above! Objects of interest for the Star Party: Ring Nebula, Venus (sets at 11pm), Whirlpool Galaxy, and Hercules Globular Cluster.

Location: Rafes Urban Astronomy Center 2350 Tom Cole Rd, Ponder, TX 76259

Tickets: $6 per person (card only)
Purchase tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/27808

Want to learn more about our Star Parties? Visit:
https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

07/14/2026

Join us for a night under the stars! 🌌

Come out to the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center and enjoy breathtaking views of the night sky through our telescopes. Learn from our knowledgeable staff and volunteers about the celestial wonders above! Objects of interest for the Star Party: Ring Nebula, Venus (sets at 11pm), Whirlpool Galaxy, and Hercules Globular Cluster.

Location:
Rafes Urban Astronomy Center
2350 Tom Cole Rd, Ponder, TX 76259

Tickets: $6 per person (available online only)
Purchase tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/27808

Final weather call will be posted around 2 PM on the day of the event.

Want to learn more about our Star Parties? Visit:
https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

06/20/2026

Join us for a night under the stars! 🌌

Come out to the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center and enjoy breathtaking views of the night sky through our telescopes. Learn from our knowledgeable staff and volunteers about the celestial wonders above! Objects of interest for the Star Party: Jupiter (sets at 10:30pm), Venus, Mercury (sets at 10:15pm), Whirlpool Galaxy & M13 Hercules Globular Cluster.

Location:
Rafes Urban Astronomy Center
2350 Tom Cole Rd, Ponder, TX 76259

Tickets: $6 per person (available online only)
Purchase tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/27808

Want to learn more about our Star Parties? Visit:
https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

06/06/2026

Our June 6th Star Party has been cancelled due to inclement weather, but no worries! ⛈️

Our 2nd Star Party of June will soon be announced in the upcoming weeks! 🔭✨

05/16/2026

Join us for a night under the stars! 🌌

Come out to the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center and enjoy breathtaking views of the night sky through our telescopes. Learn from our knowledgeable staff and volunteers about the celestial wonders above! Objects of interest for the Star Party: Jupiter, Venus (sets at 10:54pm), Ring Nebula, Irus Nebula, & Whirlpool Galaxy.

Location:
Rafes Urban Astronomy Center
2350 Tom Cole Rd, Ponder, TX 76259

Tickets: $6 per person (available online only)
Purchase tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/27808

Want to learn more about our Star Parties? Visit:
https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

Address

Ponder, TX

Telephone

+19403698213

Website

https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/index.html, https://astronomy.unt.edu/sky-theater/index.html

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