The summer is my favorite time to stargaze. The winter may offer crisp, clear nights and stunning constellations like Orion and the Pleiades, but in the summer the Milky Way arcs overhead, meteor showers stripe the sky and the balmy temperatures mean all you need is a light jacket to step outside and look up. From observatory open house nights to astronomy programs in Rocky Mountain National Park, here are four opportunities to spend your summer under the stars.

Open House Nights at the Sommers-Bausch Observatory, University of Colorado