ALL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES FREE (EXCEPT PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP)
Thursday October 4 |
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| Telescope Workshop (registration required) | 5:00-7:30pm | NACET Accelerator parking lot, 2225 N Gemini Rd. |
| Sunset Talk: Shadows and Circles | 6:00-6:30pm | Buffalo Park Loop Trail |
| Twilight Talk: Exploring the Moon and Mars | 6:45-7:15pm | Buffalo Park Pavilion |
| Night Sky Orientation | 7:30-9:00pm | Buffalo Park |
| Telescope Observing | 7:00-10:00pm | Buffalo Park |
| Binocular Circle: From Earth to Sky | 8:00 & 9:00pm | North of Pavilion |
Friday October 5 |
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| Photography Workshop (registration required) | 5:30-8:30pm | NACET Accelerator, 2225 N Gemini Rd. |
| Sunset Talk: Shadows and Circles | 6:00-6:30pm | Buffalo Park Loop Trail |
| Twilight Talk: A Walk Around Our Stellar Neighborhood | 6:45-7:15pm | Buffalo Park Pavilion |
| A Little Night Music | 7:45-8:45pm | North of Pavillion |
| Night Sky Orientation | 7:30-9:00pm | Buffalo Park |
| Telescope Observing | 7:00-10:00pm | Buffalo Park |
| Binocular Circle: From Earth to Sky | 8:00 & 9:00pm | North of Pavilion |
Saturday October 6 |
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| Sunset Talk: Shadows and Circles | 6:00-6:30pm | Buffalo Park Loop Trail |
| Twilight Talk: Native Skies with Modern Eyes | 6:45-7:15pm | Buffalo Park Pavilion |
| Night Sky Orientation | 7:30-9:00pm | Buffalo Park |
| Telescope Observing | 7:00-10:00pm | Buffalo Park |
| Binocular Circle: From Earth to Sky | 8:00 & 9:00pm | North of Pavilion |
Telescope Viewing
Nightly: 6:00-10:00 pm
Hosted telescope viewing of the beautiful night sky through high power telescopes from 7 to 10 pm.
Night Sky Orientation / Constellation Tour
Nightly: every half-hour from 7:30-9:00 pm
Every evening as twilight deepens a local astronomer and night-sky enthusiast will introduce you to the star-filled night sky, pointing out the North Star, constellations, the Milky Way, planets, and other less-known objects such as star clusters and “dark clouds” visible to your unaided eyes!
Sunset Talk
Nightly: 6:00 – 6:30 pm
Sunset Shadows and Circles
Every evening Brian Skiff of Lowell Observatory will have a “sunset” talk from 6-6:30 p.m. Weather permitting, he will describe the subtle transition from sunset into twilight, including the Earth-shadow and Belt of Venus in the east, as well as layered pastel colors over the Sun in the west. Join Brian and watch the tree shadows stretch to the eastern horizon!
NEW for 2018!
From Earth to Sky
Nightly: 8:00 & 9:00 pm
Binocular Circle
Every evening Rich Krueger of Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy will lead a journey from Earth to Sky. Weather permitting, he will guide you in the use of your own binoculars in piercing the mysteries of the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies – from Jupiter and Saturn to double stars, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Bring your own binoculars and a folding lightweight lounge chair, lean back and soar into the Universe!
SPACE WILL BE LIMITED to the first 25 arrivals – first come basis. (You will have to hand-carry your chair from your car to the viewing area – a minimum of 400 feet from the Buffalo Park lot.)
NEW for 2018!
A Little Night Music
Friday (only): 7:45-8:45 pm
Did you know that Music and Astronomy were once considered to be related subjects?! And did you know that astronomer Sir William Herschel was a professional musician for decades before he discovered the planet Uranus?! Cellist Melissa Collins Cripps and Violinist/Astronomer David Koerner will bring live classical music to your viewing of the night sky, including a piece or two by Sir William Herschel.
Workshops
Telescope Workshop
Thursday, October 4, 2018, 5:00 – 7:30 pm, NACET Accelerator parking lot
You have that telescope at home – but it never seems to get out of the closet… If you have been struggling with using your own telescope, dust it off and bring it to this useful workshop! Lowell Observatory Educator Jim Cole will coach you through setting it up, how to align it and find astronomical objects, what eyepieces work best for what objects, and all the rest to demystify your telescope and help you open the beauty of deep space to yourself and your family.
Workshop participants must bring their own complete telescope, including stand or mount and eyepieces. Please don’t bring broken or incomplete equipment.
SPACE WILL BE LIMITED so requires registration. Register HERE.
Night Sky Photography Workshop with Stan Honda
Friday, October 5, 2018, 5:00 – 8:30 pm, NACET Incubator and Buffalo Park
SPACE IS LIMITED so requires registration and a $25 fee. Register HERE.
This extraordinary opportunity will allow participants to learn how to photograph the night sky with a master. New York-based Stan Honda was a photojournalist for 34 years, most recently for Agence France-Presse (AFP). Although he has photographed a wide array of subjects over the years, he has a special passion for starry skies and night landscapes, combining his interests in astronomy and photography. He has worked as an artist-in-residence at five national parks, and his photography of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico and Wupatki National Monument were used in reports that led to them both being designated as International Dark Sky Parks. Honda will conduct a three-part workshop introducing basic techniques to capture beautiful night sky photos with modern digital cameras. The three-hour session will include learning about your camera and a short slideshow of Honda’s work.
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SPACE IS LIMITED so requires registration and a $25 fee. Register HERE.
Twilight Talks
Thursday, October 4, 2018, 6:45 – 7:15 pm, Buffalo Park pavilion
Exploring the Moon and Mars
Dr. Lauren Edgar, U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, and
Dr. Kristen Bennett, Northern Arizona University
The Moon is our nearest planetary neighbor, and Mars intrigues us as the closest possibly habitable planet. Investigations of these planetary bodies have yielded information about the origin and evolution of our solar system and fueled our desire to further explore space. We will give a brief overview of the robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars. We will discuss the lunar exploration programs of multiple nations, from the initial Russian Luna flybys to the recent Chinese Chang’e lander. We will then showcase some of the highlights of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been orbiting the Moon since 2009. Mars has also been the target of many missions, including orbiters, rovers, and landers. We will highlight the Mars exploration program with a focus on the most recent missions and where we’re heading next.
Friday, October 5, 2018, 6:45 – 7:15 pm, Buffalo Park pavilion
A Walk Around Our Stellar Neighborhood
– A Comparison of the Nearby Stars to the Naked-Eye Stars
Dr. Gerard van Belle, Lowell Observatory
When we walk outside at night and are presented with the sparkling glory of the night sky, one might assume that the objects we see are those that are nearest to us in a large and varying universe. In truth, only about 1 in every 10 of the objects we see with our eyes are amongst those that are actually nearby to our stellar system. A examination of this contrast between bright and near will be presented, and highlights of both our boisterous stellar attention-getters and the quiet wallflowers will be presented.
Saturday, October 6, 2018, 6:45 – 7:15 pm, Buffalo Park pavilion
Native Skies with Modern Eyes
Dr. David Koerner, Northern Arizona University
Sky watching is enriched by narratives from indigenous American communities. This talk will feature star stories of tribes from the Colorado Plateau together with lore from modern astronomy. The aim is to enhance appreciation for celestial objects as seen both through the eyes of ancient cultures and in a modern age of space exploration.