Coloradans who look up at the night sky this Earth Day could catch a glimpse of two celestial phenomena.

Colorado astronomy guide Mark Laurin said that the holiday on Wednesday, April 22, will be “book ended” by cosmic occurrences: A planetary conjunction before dawn and a meteor shower after dusk. Both phenomenon can be viewed for a period of time after Earth Day, as well.

“The cosmos and the solar system gives us a point of reference to see ourselves as part of a much bigger system,” Laurin said. “On Earth Day, we see ourselves in relation to the cosmos. We see that we are part of something and Earth is something worth protecting.”

A member of the Denver Astronomical Society and the Astronomical League, Laurin is also an adjunct instructor with Keystone Science School. He leads astronomy and stargazing events in Colorado under the nickname Astro Mark.

Laurin noted that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Artemis II mission that circumnavigated the moon earlier this month has renewed American’s interest in our solar system and outer space. Astronauts trained for the Artemis II mission in northwestern Colorado in the months leading up to the April 1 launch.

Artemis II was the first human-crewed flight since the agency’s first lunar program, Apollo, had its last flight 56 years ago. The modern lunar mission captured high-resolution photos of the Earth that harkened back to famous photos of Earth taken by the Apollo missions more than half a century ago.

The “Earthrise” photo taken by Apollo 8 on Dec. 24, 1968 is often credited with sparking the modern environmental movement and leading to the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, according to the nonprofit Earth Day Network.

While NASA has framed the Artemis II mission as a “crucial step toward eventually sending crews on to Mars,” Laurin said that this Earth Day should serve as a reminder that this is the only planet we have.

He suggested reflecting on the importance of protecting our home planet, while watching neighboring planets rise above the horizon in the morning, then watching the debris of a centuries-old comet burn up as shooting stars in the atmosphere.

“Why are we so enamored with going and colonizing another planet? Because we’re afraid of destroying the one we’ve got,” Laurin said. “Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just take care of our home and address the issues here?”

Here’s how to witness the planetary conjunction and meteor shower on Earth Day:

Planetary conjunction

A planetary conjunction is an astronomical event where two or more planets appear close together in the night sky, as observed from Earth. 

The parade of planets will be visible before dawn everyday through about April 23. Mars, Saturn and Mercury will be visible to the naked eye close together, Laurin said, and Neptune will also be visible but only with binoculars or a telescope.

“Get up with your morning coffee and just watch them rise,” Laurin said. 

To spot the planetary conjunction, look toward the eastern horizon just before sunrise, Laurin said. Since the mountains tend to block part of the horizon in Colorado, he suggested looking for the conjunction around 6:30 a.m., when the planets should be high enough off the horizon to be visible.

Mars, which will be a soft pinkish-red color, will be the easiest to spot as it will hug the eastern horizon, Laurin said. Mars will form a triangle with Mercury, which will appear with a faint peach or pinkish-white color, and Saturn, which will be a muted gold or soft yellow color, he said. Unlike stars, planets don’t twinkle but instead shine with a steady light.

Using binoculars, Neptune will also be visible as part of the conjunction. Laurin said Neptune will be along the same line as Mercury and Saturn, but further to the observers’ right side of the sky. Neptune will be pale blue in color.

Lyrids Meteor Shower

The Lyrids Meteor Shower will peak on the night of April 22 and continue through April 29. 

Unfortunately, Laurin noted that some of the weaker meteors that occur during the shower will be washed out by light of Jupiter and the moon, which will be about one-quarter full. Still, he estimated that stargazers could see up to 10 shooting stars per hour.

“The moon and Jupiter are going to wash out some of the dimmer meteor showers,” Laurin said, “but the fire balls, the long streakmakers, the bullseyes, those you’ll be able to see.”

A meteor shower is caused by debris that is left over from a comet that passed Earth, often centuries ago, Laurin said. As Earth rotates in its orbit around the sun, it passes through that debris and small particles of ice and dust burn up in the atmosphere, creating shooting stars, he said.

The Lyrids Meteor Shower is caused by debris from Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, a long-period comet that orbits the sun every 415 years, according to NASA. Humans have observed the meteor shower caused by this comet for nearly 2,700 years.

To view the meteor shower, stargazers should look toward the northeast to find the radiant point, or the point from which the meteors appear to emanate from anytime after sunset on April 22, Laurin said. He suggested scanning the sky to the north for meteors, while looking away from the moon to minimize the impact of its light.

The best views of the meteor shower may be in the early morning hours of April 23, between roughly 3 to 4 a.m. when the moon has set, Laurin said. 

“That’s what astronomy and looking at the night sky does for me, it just reminds me of my place in the universe,” Laurin said. “It’s an important place. I’m part of the universe, but in (relation) to the universe, I’m just one small grain of sand hitting the atmosphere and burning up in a meteor shower.”

Besides the current conundrum about the usefulness of owning a gasoline-powered vehicle of any sort, an emerging, less-volatile pre-war issue saw two other camps face off against each other: Button people and screen people.

The Tesla phenomenon of all-screen, no buttons, quickly impacted wide swaths of the automotive industry as physical controls became gauche and old-fashioned to Tesla-styled drivers. 

But consumers, who are not all universally touchscreen fans, have barked back, and many brands said they would work to once again include physical controls – often just as simple as a cotton-pickin’ volume knob – rather than force drivers to rely on learning and using slippery touchscreens for important functions.

Mazda, in what might be a surprising move, has gone the exact opposite direction with the new 2026 version of the popular CX-5 crossover. Externally, and under the hood, there’s not a gigantic difference between the 2026 and the previous generation of Mazda’s sprightly, not-too-big-or-small SUV, especially if you get one colored in eye-searing, nail polish-styled Soul Crystal Red Metallic paint. Yes, it’s now 4.5 inches longer overall, but you’d hardly notice on first glance, or drive.

Set yourself inside the cabin and, wow, things have certainly changed, however. Rather than the swirly input knob we’d taken for granted for years — or even the left-hand-drive-oriented volume knob — the 2026 CX-5 moves 95% of its controls onto a horizontally oriented touchscreen, with a Google operating system.

In the $41,000 2.5 S Premium Plus model I drove, that was an optional, semi-gigantic 15.6-inch color display (or 12.9 inches on lower models) that commands a whole lot of real estate on the dash. It’s also critical for absolutely every function on a vehicle that seems like it sure has been set up for a full-self-driving future that isn’t quite here yet.

Even more than, say, Range Rover, you’ll have to get a precocious five-year-old to teach you all of the on-screen clicks, pinches and swipes you’ll need to adjust the temperature and volume. Don’t just go into it blind on a first drive, as I did — it’s not going to make a lot of sense at first, especially while behind the wheel.

Get more ambitious about the CX-5’s literal litany of controls and you’ll discover what are more than three dozen safety and security system settings. The 10.25-inch digital instrument panel shows maybe 40 potential warnings when you start up, along with some soothing but ominous musical tones.

Principally, and while it does not offer next-generation self-driving — yet — both the instrument screen and the giant central touchscreen show the road you’re driving and sort of ghostly, dancing images of nearby traffic, much the same as new Audis or even much more expensive Rivian EVs. Proactive features such as lane-change assist and even automatic speed reduction on curves — a la Toyota and Lexus — are also included, as is a driver-monitoring system to make sure you’re actually behind the wheel while driving. 

This all seemed like overkill in a vehicle that’s still supposed to be a reasonably scaled, fun-to-drive family vehicle, with a single, carryover 187-hp 2.5-liter engine choice and standard all-wheel drive, and a $30,000 base price. 

As noted in Motor Trend’s review of the car, the other curiosity is that the relatively considerable areas of now button-free console (you still do get a very, very tiny set of defrost buttons, hidden between the air vents) are finished in a slightly less-than-appealing plastic — seemingly at odds with the premium look of the tan, leather-trimmed interior everywhere else. 

I mention all of this because you’re going to be spending a lot more time looking at those features (thank goodness there’s still a bunch of actual buttons on the steering wheel) than you will outside the car, so it’s something to consider.

Otherwise, the 2026 hasn’t vastly changed the CX-5’s driving character. Power is of a just-right scale here, and also means up to 30 mpg on the highway. You’ll find the driving feel of a moderately sporty stature – the slightly lower-profile CX-50 may be a little more engaging.

Southern Tenmile recreation access plan proposes improvements to trailheads, trails, signage, parking, campsites and shuttle systems at some of Summit County’s most popular recreation sites, and the U.S. Forest Service recently approved the plan.

An agency news release stated the Forest Service developed the “much-needed plan” over two years with input from Summit County, the town of Breckenridge and other stakeholders. It will affect areas like Spruce Creek, McCullough Gulch, Blue Lakes and Quandary Peak.

The project could start as early as this summer, according to the release, and it will be implemented in stages. The focus of the first phase will be infrastructure improvements, such as trailhead parking lots and restrooms at Blue Lakes, Quandary Peak, McCullough Gulch and Spruce Creek, and improvements to area trails.

The release stated the plan will address the impact of “heavy visitation” on the area, which sees around 237,000 visitors annually.

The plan received several negative comments during its open comment period last summer, especially regarding the aspect of the plan that looks to expand the shuttle and parking reservation system currently used for the Quandary Peak Trailhead to other areas.

The second annual Summit Telemark Festival will bring discounted lift tickets, on-snow clinics, gear demos and live music to Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on April 17-18.

A news release from Summit Telemark, the group that organizes the event, stated it will include two paid half-hour clinics led by telemark instructors, as well as gear demos and giveaways.

The festival will also have youth telemark lessons and demos, a “sustainability party” and concert, and apres events.

To register and see a full schedule of events, visit ArapahoeBasin.com/event/tele-fest.

Registration has opened for summer programs at the Silverthorne Recreation Center. 

Both youth and adult programming will be available from June through August. 

Youth programs center around fun outdoor activities, including skateboarding, swimming, nature and science camps and more. Adults can select from programs like volleyball and pickleball leagues, strength and exercise programs and more. A complete list of summer programs can be found at Silverthorne.org. The Silverthorne Recreation Center can be reached for questions at recreation@silverthorne.org or 970-262-7370.

This June, Frisco Historic Park and Museum is debuting a week-long archaeology camp for youth ages 10-16. 

From June 8-12, Historic Park educational staff with expertise in archaeology will lead the outdoor camp, visiting archaeological sites, exploring local landscapes and participating in hands-on activities. 

Youth are invited to apply for the camp by 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 12 at FriscoCamps.com with a brief paragraph about their interest in archaeology. The camp will meet Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Frisco Historic Park and Museum. Cost for Frisco residents is $350 for the week or $375 for non-residents.

Frisco’s Recreation Department offers a host of other summer day camps, including H20 Camp, Adventure Camp and Frisco Fun Club. Questions can be directed to FriscoCamps@townoffrisco.com. 

Following on the heels of the substantially up-built, from-the-factory Tremor editions of other Ford favorites — the Expedition and even the tiny Maverick — the Tremor version of the new Explorer puts that brawn in a more practical package.

While the 2026 rendition of Expedition demonstrates its own range of positives, the Tremor build gears up with a Torsen limited-slip rear axle, custom shocks, additional underbody protection and skid plates, serious off-road-ready tires and a bundle of logos and metallic highlights – especially in those 18-inch aluminum wheels.

The standard mix of upgraded Explorer Tremor parts starts at about $48,500, but to get the SUV’s most impressive attribute — its 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine that makes at least 385 horsepower (and seems much more powerful than that) – the total package upsell is more than $14,000, with mine coming to $64,405, including delivery. 

As mentioned on a recent drive in the previous model, the regular Explorer is about as close as you’re going to get to driving a police-issue vehicle, and the enhanced looks and extra-flashy, occasionally blinding LED trail lamps seemed to attract a lot of negative mojo out there on the weekend roads.

Despite its monstrous Bridgestone Dueller tires, that loopy blast of turbocharged horsepower meant the vehicle was absolutely able to outpace nearly anyone who came along, up to a rather substantial electronic limit. And, at the same time, still get me a tad more than the 22-mpg highway figure, which was certainly helpful with elevated fuel prices.

A friend made the perhaps dubious case that the new Explorer offers finishings and a general feel that rivals more premium SUVs, even import models. 

While it’s certainly stylish, with loads of highlight-stitched, supportive leather-and-fabric seating (plus of course those Tremor logos), as well as a rugged wheel, and denim- and carbon-fiber-look dash trim — oh, and an upgraded, 14-speaker B&O stereo system — the overall experience is classy, but not exactly Range Rover, despite the increasingly upscale price.

True, you do get a pair of widely spaced captain’s chairs in the rear, a pair of power-deploying third-row seats, and that tangible power boost, but Explorer stays pretty true to its all-American roots. Including what looks like a tray for hard candy underneath the touchscreen.

I probably would have benefited by turning off the lane-keep function much earlier than I did (it’s one of the easy fixes on the steering wheel controls), as those big tires took a lot of feedback from the system on nearly every outing.

Shifting is via the swirly knob on the console or paddle shifters and the 10-speed automatic transmission needed to be kicked down many, many notches to hold speed going back down into Georgetown. 

BlueCruise semi-automatic self-driving was also included here and its availability on divided roads has improved in just a few years. 

You do get easy, wireless mirroring functions on that 13.2-inch touchscreen, a wi-fi hotspot and Ford’s suite of digital offerings, all ideal when the vehicle is not being used to pound rocks or snow. A summertime adventure would provide a better opportunity to test out Tremor’s additional drive modes and its off-road dexterity, but that was not quite the case this time around. 

I did experience some potentially blinding situations on a night drive on Swan Mountain Road on Saturday as the automatic headlamps and LED auxiliary lighting kept dimming and brightening at unpredictable ratios — my apologies if you were caught up in that.