NARIT Launches Stargazing Season on Halloween 2026 with Starry Halloween and Alien Night

Sirindhorn Astronomical Park Opens Saturday Night Viewing

The Sirindhorn Astronomical Park in Mae Rim, Chiang Mai, has resumed its free Saturday night public stargazing sessions, operating every Saturday from 18:00 to 22:00 local time through May 2027. According to Suparerk Lehrachaikul, assistant director of NARIT, the winter season provides optimal atmospheric conditions for astronomical observation across northern Thailand.

The opening night on October 31, 2026, featured a Starry Halloween and Alien Night theme. Visitors dressed in fancy costumes to observe celestial targets through telescopes ranging from 10-inch diameters to 0.7 meters, including Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Double Cluster, and the Pleiades star cluster, alongside family activities such as resin constellation keychain workshops.

National Astronomical Event Calendar Features Ten Winter Highlights

NARIT coordinated major astronomical events across the country for the 2026–2027 winter season, extending activities beyond Chiang Mai to four regional celebration observatories located in Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Chachoengsao, and Songkhla.

The published winter calendar includes the Geminid meteor shower observation campaign scheduled for the night of December 13 to the morning of December 14, 2026, at Chiang Dao, Chiang Mai, which is expected to reach a peak rate of approximately 150 meteors per hour without moonlight interference. Additional highlights include a Super Full Moon and Christmas celebration from December 24 to 26, 2026, the NARIT AstroFest children’s day program on January 9, 2027, and public stargazing in Bangkok on January 16, 2027.

Doi Inthanon National Observatory Offers Limited Access Tours

The National Observatory on Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai will host its TNO Open House 2027 events on January 30 and February 6, 2027. The program provides visitors access to a 2.4-meter optical telescope and a 1-meter telescope for viewing planets.

Admission to the Doi Inthanon open house is limited to 120 participants per session with a fee of 300 baht per person. Registration for both dates opened concurrently on October 31, 2026, via the official NARIT Facebook page during a live broadcast starting at 19:30 local time.

Participant Reward Points and Regional Tourism Integration

Attendees at Saturday public stargazing sessions and designated NARIT events can accumulate digital reward credits through an online system called NARIT Point. These accumulated points allow participants to redeem limited-edition souvenirs tailored to each regional observatory location.

The regional focus on Chiang Mai coincides with local government initiatives to promote northern tourism during the peak season, supported by forecasts from the Thai Meteorological Department indicating the arrival of initial cool air masses during the third week of October 2026.