From Shenandoah National Park:
Shenandoah National Park will celebrate the annual Night Sky Festival, August 11-13, 2023. Featured speakers, including amateur astronomers, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solar System Ambassador Greg Redfern, and veteran NASA astronaut Tom Jones, will present on topics ranging from asteroid defense to the largest known impact crater in the United States. Ranger-led programs will focus on animals that rely on dark skies, each planet’s role in the solar system, and stories told by the constellations. There will be opportunities for stargazing, constellation tours, Junior Ranger activities, and more.
Join amateur astronomers for a “Telescope Party” to view stars and the Perseid meteor shower in two locations: Dickey Ridge Visitor Center with Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, or Big Meadows with Rappahannock Astronomy Club, Richmond Astronomical Society, and the University of Virginia Department of Astronomy.
Artist-in-Residence Paul Atkinson will share his approach to night sky landscape photography during his program “Making Art in the Dark” Friday, August 11, at 3:30 p.m. in Byrd Visitor Center Auditorium. The Artist-in-Residence program is financially supported by Shenandoah National Park Trust, the official philanthropic partner of the park.
This annual festival and featured speakers are sponsored by Delaware North, the park’s concessioner, and Shenandoah National Park Association. For a full list of Night Sky Festival activities, please visit, https://www.nps.gov/…/planyourvisit/night-sky-festival.htm.
