[media id=13 width=320 height=240]
The third annual Great Basin National Park Astronomy Festival will take place June 14, 15, and 16, 2012. Join Great Basin’s “Dark” Rangers, and astronomers from the Las Vegas and Salt Lake City Astronomical Societies, to experience out of this world family fun, excitement, and to learn about day and nighttime astronomy. Great Basin National Park is noted for the some of the darkest night skies and best air quality in the nation. Visitors will experience clear daytime skies, incredibly dark night skies, and star gazing beyond compare. Lehman Caves Visitor Center will be the hub of activity. There will be kid’s programs each day and each night kids can earn their “Deep Sky Certificate”.
[media id=1 width=320 height=240]
The festival kicks off Thursday June 14, 2012 with the very popular Ranger Talent Show at 8:00PM (PDT). Each night of the festival is capped off with stargazing with telescopes at 9:00PM (PDT). Astronomers will be on hand to guide you through the night skies, with their many telescopes of different makes, shapes, and sizes. There will be many opportunities to look at the stars, planets and other deep sky objects including nebulae and galaxies.
Dr. Paul Bogard, the Festival’s keynote speaker, is the author of The Geography of Night: Discovering Darkness in an Age of Light (forthcoming from Little, Brown) and editor of Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark. Dr. Bogard will have his keynote presentation on Friday June 15 at 8:00PM (PDT).
