UNT Rafes Urban Astronomy Center

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UNT Rafes Urban Astronomy Center

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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.

10/07/2026

Join us for a night under the stars! 🌌🌙

This is a special Star Party, proceeds will benefit the UNT Society of Physics Students. Tickets will be CASH only for this event!

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: Saturn, Andromeda Galaxy, Triangulum Galaxy, Eagle Nebula, and Pleiades (rises at 8:45pm)

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

Tickets: $6 per person (CASH ONLY)
Want to learn more about our Star Parties? Visit: https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

10/03/2026

Unfortunately, tonight’s star party has been canceled due to weather!

Stay tuned for our rescheduled Star Party happening October 10th!🍂

For more information about our RUAC Observatory, be sure to check out our website! https://astronomy.unt.edu/ruac_observatory/star-parties.html

09/30/2026

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: Saturn, Andromeda Galaxy, Pleiades (rises at 9:30), Lagoon Nebula, and Bode's 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

09/19/2026

It's International Observe the Moon Night today, and we have a Star Party!

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: The Moon! Saturn, Andromeda Galaxy, Ring Nebula, Pinwheel Galaxy, and Whirlpool Galaxy.

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

Tickets: $6 per person (cash not accepted)
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

09/16/2026

It's International Observe the Moon Night this Saturday, and we have a Star Party!

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: The Moon! Saturn, Andromeda Galaxy, Ring Nebula, Pinwheel Galaxy, and 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

09/05/2026

Great News! The Star Party for Tonight, September 5th is ON! Tickets are $6 and can be purchased online using the link below. Ticket sales will go on until the end of the star party.
Tickets: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/27808

08/28/2026

Missed the partial lunar eclipse last night? We've got you covered with some photos captured at UNT's Rafes Urban Astronomy Center! 🤩

Both the time lapse (Canon Mark IV DSLR on one of our Celestron C8 telescope) and the photos (iPhone 17 Pro on a Lundt 3" telescope) were taken by our Observatory Manager Jennifer Bradford.

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

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

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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