Road Trip To Joshua Tree For The 2018 Night Sky Festival
Make plans to head to the desert for a fun-filled day and star-filled night for the 4th Annual Night Sky Festival. Joshua Tree was recently officially designated an official Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association, so this year’s festival is going to be a real celebration!
Winning the designation represents the outcome of nearly a decade of hard work by park staff and activists, as covered in this LA Times article. The park had to meet a very strict set of criteria, proving its commitment to keeping the sky views as natural as possible now and into the future.
This year’s event features an astrophotography workshop, plus morning and nighttime astronomy sessions.
You’ll have the opportunity to learn about the Orrery, look safely at the Sun through a solar telescope, walk the Nature and Wilderness Trails, and participate in youth crafts during the morning session at Sky’s The Limit. Afternoon astronomy presentations, space photo booth, and International Dark-Sky Association information table will be at Luckie Park in Twentynine Palms.
The astrophotography workshop, led by artist photographer, John Van Vliet, will be held on Friday, November 9 beginning at 6:30 pm. Limited tickets available for this workshop. All other events will be held on Saturday, November 10.
There will be a big Star Party beginning at 6 pm with 20 telescopes and astronomers to explain the starry night sky, all while listening to live music.
See you there!
